Eric Henry Liddell (1902 – 1945) was a British Olympic Gold Medalist runner, Scottish rugby union international player, and Christian missionary. He was born in China to Scottish missionary parents, attended boarding school near London and afterwards attended the University of Edinburgh.
At the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, Liddell created headlines by refusing to run in the heats for his favoured 100 metres because they were held on a Sunday. Instead he trained for and competed in the 400 metres, which he won and so became a national celebrity.
He returned to China in 1925 to serve as a missionary teacher. Aside from two furloughs in Scotland, he remained in China until his death in a Japanese civilian internment camp in 1945. His simple faith remains an encouragement and inspiration for all believers.
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