July 11. Eric Liddell. Eric was a champion runner and rugby player who intended to compete in the 100-meter race at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. But stuff happened, and on this date in 1924, he won the Gold Medal for the 400-meter event. Here’s how it happened.
When you walk with integrity, you forge a path for other men.
As the sound of pipes and drums of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders filled the air, tension mounted. Runners took position, and the roaring crowd fell silent. Taut with anticipation, the 1924 Olympians crouched for the opening shot. This 400-meter race in Paris captured the attention of the world.
Everyone wanted to watch Eric, who was running this race instead of his strongest event. He had dropped the 100 because the trials fell on a Sunday, the day he set aside for worship.
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:8–11 NASB).
While some respected Eric’s decision, many of his fellow Scots were angry, believing Eric’s choice would cost the United Kingdom a Gold. Even Parliament criticized his decision. But Eric chose conscience over success.
The crack of the pistol broke the strained silence. Eric shot forward and immediately took the lead. When—at the half-way point—Eric was a clear 3 yards ahead, a collective gasp rose. He had covered the first 200 meters in 22.2 seconds, a pace many people had considered unsustainable.
But as the runners neared the finish line, his rivals still strained to catch him. With an astonishing burst of speed, Eric threw his head back and thrust his chin out in that awkward way he was known for.
Nearly a second—and at least 6 yards—ahead of his fiercest opponent, Eric burst through the tape. The crowd exploded. Not only did Eric win, he broke the record at an awe-inspiring 47.6 seconds, a record that stood for 12 years.
People called his lung-bursting speed “lion-hearted.” He ran each of the 3 first 100 meters in just over 12 seconds and the fourth at a blistering pace—barely over 11 seconds. “The secret of my success over the 400 metres is that I run the first 200 metres as hard as I can,” Eric told reporters. “Then, for the second 200 metres, with God’s help, I run harder.”
Before the race, the US Olympic masseur slipped a piece of paper into Eric’s hand. It included 1 Samuel 2:30, “Those who honour me I will honour.”
People were stunned by Eric’s decision in 1924 and by the way God honored his decision. In fact, Eric’s footprint was so great, that in 1981 a film, Chariots of Fire, was produced chronicling this historic event.
After the Olympics, Eric continued to leave footprints of integrity while he was interned in a World War II prison camp in China. He lived out his conviction that God had placed him there to help others. When Winston Churchill negotiated Eric’s release, he insisted a young, pregnant woman be sent home instead. Especially concerned for the interned children, “Uncle” Eric organized and refereed games.
At first there were no games on Sunday, but the children, confined in deplorable conditions, fought. Eric wrestled with what God wanted him to do. Soon Sunday games were instated.
In 1924 Eric sacrificed a Gold Medal for his convictions. In 1943 he embraced God’s grace, convicted that honoring God meant meeting the children’s needs. Eric lived out his beliefs, and story after story of those interned with him record the impact. Dr. Norman Cliff, who was imprisoned with Eric, remembers him deflecting praise. “When you speak of me,” Eric said, “give the glory to my master, Jesus Christ.”
Integrity is often forged in the fire of personal convictions. In what one area of your life should you begin to vocalize your personal convictions? When you walk with integrity, you forge a path for other men.
Burnton, Simon. “50 stunning Olympic moments: No8 Eric Liddell’s 400 metres win, 1924.” Published January 4, 2012. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jan/04/50-stunning-olympic-moments-eric-liddell.
Thomson, D.P. Scotland’s Greatest Athlete: The Eric Liddell Story. Crieff, Perthshire: Research Unit, 1970.
Alcorn, Randy. “The Little Known Story of Eric Liddell’s Final Years.” Published February 12, 2018. https://www.epm.org/blog/2018/Feb/12/olympian-eric-liddell.
Cliff, Norman. Eric Lidell Centre. “Rev. Dr. Norman Cliff.” Accessed June 5, 2020. https://www.ericliddell.org/rev-dr-norman-cliff-a-transcript-of-a-talk-on-his-experiences-of-weihsien-camp-he-describes-eric-liddells-life-and-death-in-the-camp/.
Would You Like to Learn More About This Man?
Lord David Putnam made an awesome film of Eric Liddell’s life called Chariots of Fire. You can hear him lecture about it here: https://youtu.be/r9NclUKgqFs.
Story read by: Blake Mattocks
Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter
Audio production: Joel Carpenter
Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/
Project manager: Blake Mattocks
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