Truly an amazing man. He died of a brain tumor and malnutrition in a Chinese internment camp. Though not written specifically about him, you can read more about that segment of his life in the book, The Courtyard of the Happy Way. Brilliant read. Here it is translated from Chinese:
📲 Subscribe to @olympics: http://oly.ch/Subscribe Eric Liddell, also known as the Flying Scotsman, was an unlikely Olympic champion. With a unique style of...
Eric Henry Liddell (; 16 January 1902 – 21 February 1945) was a Scottish sprinter, rugby player and Christian missionary. Born in Qing China to Scottish missionary parents, he attended boarding school near London, spending ti...
Really great that this athletic feat and an extraordinary life has been highlighted. Thumbs up to World Athletics and Rojo!
Trivia question: What was the distance for one lap of the track at the 1924 Paris Olympics?
Spoiler answer: 500m
The website at the first link below states the following:
"The 1924 Olympic athletics competition was held at the [Stade Olympique de Colombes], slightly north of Paris. The track was 500 metres and this was the last time that Olympic competition would be contested on other than a 400-metre track."
The original film footage at the link immediately below confirms that in the 400m at Paris 1924 the athletes only ran one bend. Watch from the 1:15 mark of the video.
Interesting the similarity between MKoch and Lidell's splits/times. (22.4/22.2 at 200m and 47.6)
“I run the first 200m as hard as I could,” Liddell said of his approach to the one-lap event. “Then, for the second 200m, with God’s help, I run harder.”
“Fitch and the others may as well have been chasing an antelope startled into top speed,” wrote Grantland Rice, whose report for the New York Herald Tribune also described Liddell as having been propelled by “some divine power.”
Sadly, Letsrun would've absolutely skewered that WR performance if it happened these days.
Running at Thanyapura Thanyapura Sports & Health Resort, Phuket is a runners paradise. Enjoy our 500m cushioned running track, pre-marked cross country trails in the adjacent national park or hundreds […]
Chariots of Fire is a British film released in 1981. Written by Colin Welland and directed by Hugh Hudson, it is based on the true story of British athletes ...
Scottish missionary and Olympic gold medallist Eric Liddell died in the Weihsien Japanese internment camp in Weifang in February 1945 and is revered by many local Chinese as a hero.
I was aware he was born and spent most of his life in China, presumably among locals so he would have spoken Chinese as a first language along with English. I wonder if he actually had a Scottish accent as depicted in the movie, certainly possible but I’ve always wondered whether he would have had a more neutral or Chinese-influenced accent. Would have also been interesting to learn more about that part of his life in the movie although it was focused on the pre-Paris buildup.
It’s interesting to compare the differences in scheduling for the 400m at the 1924 Olympics and this year’s Olympics. In 1924, they ran four rounds in only two days. This year, there will be three rounds (not counting the repechage) spread over four days.
1924 schedule:
Round 1: July 10 at 2:00 pm
Quarterfinals: July 10 at 4:00 pm
Semifinals: July 11 at 2:45 pm
Final: July 11 at 5:30 pm
That’s four 400m races in a span of about 27.5 hours!