Eric Liddell biography
Eric Liddell, (born January 16, 1902, Tientsin, China—died February 21, 1945, Weihsien, China), British runner who received a gold medal within the 400-metre run and a bronze within the 200 metres on the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris.
The son of Scottish missionaries, Liddell was born in China. His household returned to Scotland when he was 5 years previous. A gifted athlete, he excelled at rugby in addition to working. He first gained nationwide recognition by profitable the 100- and 200-metre runs on the Amateur Athletic Association championships in 1923. At the 1924 Olympics, Liddell, a religious Christian, dropped out of the 100-metre run—his strongest occasion—as a result of the ultimate was scheduled for a Sunday. Instead, he educated for the 200- and 400-metre runs. At the Games, he completed third within the 200-metre run and turned in a exceptional efficiency to win the 400 metres. Starting within the exterior lane, Liddell sprinted out of the blocks and set such a blistering tempo that two racers stumbled making an attempt to maintain up. He received the race in a document time of 47.6 seconds.
A 12 months after the Olympic Games, Liddell returned to China to do missionary work along with his father. He died of a mind tumour whereas interred in a Japanese camp throughout World War II. The experiences of Liddell and his teammate Harold Abrahams had been portrayed within the movie Chariots of Fire (1981).