Liddell, Eric

Eric Liddell, (born January 16, 1902, Tientsin, China—died February 21, 1945, Weihsien, China), British runner who won a gold medal in the 400-metre run and a bronze in the 200 metres at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris.

The son of Scottish missionaries, Liddell was born in China. His family returned to Scotland when he was five years old. A gifted athlete, he excelled at rugby as well as running. He first gained national recognition by winning the 100- and 200-metre runs at the Amateur Athletic Association championships in 1923. At the 1924 Olympics, Liddell, a devout Christian, dropped out of the 100-metre run—his strongest event—because the final was scheduled for a Sunday. Instead, he trained for the 200- and 400-metre runs. At the Games, he finished third in the 200-metre run and turned in a remarkable performance to win the 400 metres. Starting in the outside lane, Liddell sprinted out of the blocks and set such a blistering pace that two racers stumbled trying to keep up. He won the race in a record time of 47.6 seconds.

A year after the Olympic Games, Liddell returned to China to do missionary work with his father. He died of a brain tumour while interred in a Japanese camp during World War II. The experiences of Liddell and his teammate Harold Abrahams were portrayed in the film Chariots of Fire (1981).