Olympics, Rugby, Christianity & Eric Liddell

This is an extract from the worlds best selling rugby magazine Rugby World (Sept 2008 page 88).

"Immortalised in the Oscar winning film Chariots of Fire, Liddell is best known as a devout Christian who won the 400m gold medal in the 1924 Paris Olympics in a world record time of 47.6 seconds. Ironically, the 100m had been considered Liddell's strongest event but, with the final scheduled for a Sunday, he withdrew at the start of the Games because he considered the sabbath as a day of rest.

One aspect of the Scot's life omitted in the film was his rugby career, which was brief but brilliant. First capped against France in 1922, Liddell scored 4 tries in 7 Tests, including 3 in the 1923 five nations when, but for an 8-6 defeat to England would have won their 1st Grand Slam. Two years later the Scots achieved that distinction, but Liddell was no longer part of the team having settled in China as a missionary. He was still there in the early 1940s when the Japanese invaded the country during World War 2; Liddell was interned in the Shantung Compound and died of a brain tumor in 1945 aged 43.

A fellow internee wrote later that throughout his incarceration Liddell was 'overflowing with good humour and love for life...it is rare indeed a person has the good fortune to meet a saint, but he came as close to it as anyone I have ever known'."

Eric Liddell is also the subject of a new book by Gordon Keddie called "Running The Race" (published by Evangelical Press). I am currently half way through and thoroughly enjoying it. I hope to finish it before New Year.