For months Eric Liddell trained with his heart set on winning the 100-meter race at the Olympics of 1924. Many sportswriters predicted he would win. At the games, however, Liddell learned that the 100-meter race was scheduled to be run on a Sunday. This posed a major problem for him, because Liddell did not believe he could honor God by running on the Lord’s Day.
He bowed out of the race and his fans were stunned. Some who had praised him in the past now called him a fool, He came under intense pressure to change his mind, but Liddell stood firm.
Then a runner dropped out of the 400-meter race, which was scheduled on a week day, and Liddell offered to fill the slot. This was not really “his race” ---- the distance was four times as long as the race for which he had trained diligently. Even so, Liddell crossed the tape as victor and set a record of 47.6 seconds in the process. He had earned an Olympic gold medal, and made an uncompromising stand for his faith.
Liddell went on to become a missionary in China , where he died in a war camp in 1945. He lives in history as a man known more for his inner mettle that for his gold medal.
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