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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nEric Liddell took his starting spot in the finals for the 400 meters. More than 6,000 paying spectators filled the stadium on that warm Friday night in Paris, a century ago, when the starting pistol fired and the Scottish runner took off from the outside lane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And 47.6 seconds later, Liddell had set a new world record, leaving his competitors in awe and his fans grasping to make sense of what they had just witnessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Liddell\u2019s sprint at the 1924 Paris Olympics is a canon event in the history of Christian athletes, and not just because of what happened on the track. Liddell entered the 400-meter race only after learning that the heats for his best Olympic event, the 100 meters, would fall on a Sunday. He withdrew from that event, holding fast to his Christian convictions about observing the Sabbath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sports matter to us in large part because of the cultural narratives that give them significance. It\u2019s not just that athletes run, jump, reach, and throw with remarkable skill. It\u2019s that those bodily movements are fashioned and framed into broader webs of meaning that help us make sense of the world around us\u2014both what is and what ought to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Liddell\u2019s performance in 1924 lingers because it was caught up in cultural narratives about what it means to be a Christian athlete and, by extension, what it means to be a Christian in a changing world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His story inspired the 1982 Oscar-winning movie \u0a86\u0a97\u0aa8\u0abe \u0ab0\u0aa5<\/em>, which brought his accomplishments back into the spotlight and led to numerous inspirational biographies focused on his Christian legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And as the Olympics return to Paris this summer, Liddell\u2019s name is part of the centennial commemorations. Ministries in Scotland<\/a> \u0a85\u0aa8\u0ac7 France<\/a> are putting on events. The stadium where he raced has been renovated<\/a> for use in the 2024 games and displays a plaque in his honor. His story still has something to teach us, whether we\u2019re Christian athletes or watching from the stands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The son of missionaries, Liddell was born in China but spent most of his childhood at a boarding school in London. He was shaped by a broad British evangelicalism, developing habits of prayer, Bible reading, and other practices of the faith. He also had a knack for sports, both rugby and track. Speed was his primary weapon. Standing just 5 feet 9 inches and weighing 155 pounds, his slim frame disguised his strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although he had an unorthodox running style\u2014one competitor said<\/a>, \u201cHe runs almost leaning back, and his chin is almost pointing to heaven\u201d\u2014it did not stop him from emerging as one of Great Britain\u2019s best sprinters. By 1921, as a first-year college student, he was recognized as a potential Olympic contender in the 100 meters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although he was a Christian and an athlete, he preferred not to emphasize these combined identities in a public way. He went quietly about his life: studying for school, participating in church, and playing sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Things changed in April 1923 when 21-year-old Liddell received a knock on his door from D.\u2009P. Thomson, an enterprising young evangelist. Thomson asked Liddell if he would speak at an upcoming event for the Glasgow Students Evangelical Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thomson had toiled for months trying to draw men to his evangelistic events, with little success. As sports writer Duncan Hamilton documented<\/a>, Thomson reasoned that getting a rugby standout like Liddell might attract the men. So he made the ask.<\/p>\n\n\n Later in life, Liddell described the moment he said yes to Thomson\u2019s invitation as the \u201cbravest thing\u201d he had ever done. He was not a dynamic speaker. He did not feel qualified. Stepping out in faith called something out of him. It made him feel as if he had a part to play in God\u2019s story, a responsibility to represent his faith in public life. \u201cSince then the consciousness of being an active member of the Kingdom of Heaven has been very real,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The decision carried with it potential dangers too\u2014particularly, Liddell himself would recognize, the danger of \u201cbringing a man up to a level above the strength of his character.\u201d Success in sports did not necessarily mean that an athlete had a mature faith worthy of emulation. Yet sharing his faith brought greater meaning and significance to Liddell\u2019s athletic efforts, helping him integrate his identities as a Christian and an athlete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Liddell\u2019s decision to speak up in April 1923 set the stage for his decision later that year to step down from Olympic consideration in the 100 meters. He communicated his intentions privately and behind the scenes, with no public fanfare. It became newsworthy, as Hamilton recounts in his biography of Liddell, only when the press became aware and began sharing their opinions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some admired his convictions, while others saw him as disloyal and unpatriotic. Many could not comprehend his inflexible stand. It was just one Sunday, and at a time when Sabbath practices in the English-speaking world were rapidly changing. Besides, the event itself would not happen until the afternoon, giving Liddell plenty of time to attend church services in the morning. Why give up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring honor to himself and his country?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Liddell recognized that the world was changing. But the Sabbath, as he understood and practiced it, was to be a full day of worship and rest. It was, for him, a matter of personal integrity and Christian obedience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And he was not alone in his convictions. In the United States into the 1960s, many evangelicals continued to see<\/a> full Sabbath observance as a central part of Christian witness. To compete on Sunday was a sign that one might not be a Christian at all\u2014an indicator, one evangelical leader suggested<\/a>, \u201cthat we are either \u2018dead in trespasses and sins\u2019 or sadly backslidden and desperately in need of revival.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout the public debate about his decision, Liddell did not raise complaints about discrimination and oppression. He did not blast the Olympic committee for their refusal to accommodate Sabbath-keeping Christians. He did not take aim at fellow Christian athletes for their willingness to compromise and compete on Sunday. He simply made his decision and accepted the consequences: Gold in the 100 meters was not an option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If this were the end of the story, Liddell\u2019s example would be an inspiring model of faithfulness\u2014and also a forgotten footnote in history. There is no \u0a86\u0a97\u0aa8\u0abe \u0ab0\u0aa5<\/em> without his triumph in the 400 meters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Few expected him to have a chance in the significantly longer race. Still, he did not arrive in Paris unprepared. He had a supportive trainer who was willing to adapt, working with Liddell for several months to build him up for both of his Olympic events (Liddell also won bronze in the 200 meters).<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lovefrance.world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Erics-Legacy-2.jpg\")
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