Eric Liddell: The Scottish Hero of the 1924 Paris Olympics whose story was portrayed in Chariots of Fire — a Men of Faith book by Catherine Swift (1990)

As I work through some of my old book reviews from the pre-internet days, I’ve stumbled upon this one from 1998. When I wrote this at age 15, though, I had no idea how God would use Eric Liddell‘s story in my own life years later.

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Learning from Missionaries to China

Along with great missionaries like Hudson Taylor, Gladys Aylward, the Kuhns, James O. Frasier, and the Stams, Eric Liddell stands out as one of the great names associated with Chinese missions. Of course, there have been many (many) more “less famous” servants of God who have also dedicated their lives to reaching China—people like Hjalmar Ekblad—but to research them all would take a lifetime!

And this reminds me: If you’re ever looking for snippet-sized and devotional missionary biographies, look no further than the Daring series put out by M.R. Conrad. The most encouraging devotional books available, in my opinion.

I read Eric Liddell 15 years before the Lord began drawing my own heart to Asia, so although I found the man’s story intriguing, I did not read it (at the time) from a place of Chinese-interest. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book then, and I am happy now to share the man’s life through this short summary.

An Early Review (1998) of Eric Liddell

The life of Eric Liddell, the runner from Scotland and hero of the 1924 Paris Olympics, was portrayed in the film, Chariots of Fire. This book goes deeper than the film into the details of Eric’s life than. It describes, for example, how Eric’s parents left him and his older brother Robbie in Scotland while they served as missionaries to China, how Eric’s surprising talent in running brought him fame and fortune, and how he gave up a life of fame to follow in his father’s steps and become a missionary to China himself.

His Early Years

Eric was born in Tientsin, China, on January 16, 1902 to James and Mary Liddell. At age six, he and his brother were sent to the School for the Sons of Missionaries at Blackheath, London. Eric enjoyed sports and was smashing at cricket, but he was also a shy boy with poor health who took years to improve.

The First World War erupted when Eric was thirteen, so he and Robbie were sent to another boarding school in Eltham. That same year, his mother visited the boys in England and stayed for a span of two years. But her arrival brought a bit of a surprise: the boys’ new sister, Jenny.

His Running Career

As Eric improved physically, he also became one of the fastest runners in school, sharing the spot with his brother. In college, where Eric earned a Bachelor of Science, his running ability drew so much attention that he was asked to try out for the track team. Eric won almost every race he ran in college, so his trainer suggested he skip the intermural races and instead run nationally. With this encouragement, Eric soon became Scotland’s fastest runner. Through it all, his grades never dipped lower than B; and, in fact, he maintained the best GPA in school.

Eric eventually accepted the invitation to run in the 1924 Olympics, but when he noticed that all of his running dates were scheduled for Sundays, he immediately declined, despite having trained to hard. People could not believe it, that he would sacrifice all his hard work for such a silly reason, but Eric’s disciple on the racetrack was just as strong in his spiritual convictions. When someone mentioned an opening in 200- and 400-yard races, Eric accepted the challenge, though he had never before trained for such events. Winning both races in the 1924 Olympics was his greatest racing accomplishment.

His Ministry, Return to China, and Death

Through all this time, Eric had been serving on an evangelistic team in Scotland, traveling throughout the country and preaching the Good News about Jesus. His big name attracted large crowds, and his team saw many souls saved through the preaching of the Word.

Eric also felt God tugging at his heart with another burden, though, calling him to return and help his family’s ministry in China. He made the preparations, sacrificing a lucrative running career in Europe, and eventually moved back to China. Not long after his arrival, his father died, leaving Eric with great responsibilities in ministry but also a comforting knowledge that God had called him back to the mission field to take his father’s place.

After several years serving in China, Eric met his wife Florence, and together they would eventually have three daughters. By the 1930s and 40s, war had broken out in China and around the world. Eric sent his pregnant wife and two daughters back to relative safety in Europe. In 1945, Eric was taken prisoner, and, after preaching and writing inside the camp, he died. He had just turned 43 years old.

Conclusions from 1998 and 2026

Eric Liddell’s life is a great example of both discipline and faithfulness to the Lord Jesus. His is an example worth following, because he followed the ultimate example, Christ Jesus. Better than the film, Catherine Swift’s book really brought to life the true story Eric Liddell.

And now today, at age 43 myself, I understand this man’s sacrifice in a totally different light. When I say that he followed the example of Jesus, it’s clear: Eric gave up so much “glory” to become a servant and to give his life for others. He truly had the same mind of Christ that we see in Philippians 2:5-11

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Missionary biographies always stir me up to something greater—and it looks like that’s been true for nearly three decades now! So that makes me wonder: who’s your favorite missionary and why?

©2026 E.T.

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Read More Great Missionary Stories:

• Raymond Lull by Samuel Zwemer (1902)
• The Romance of Missionary Heroism by John C. Lambert (1907)
• By My Spirit by Jonathan Goforth (1929)
• Adoniram Judson by Faith Coxe Bailey (1955)
• Green Leaf in Drought-time by Isobel Kuhn (1957)
• By Searching by Isobel Kuhn (1959)
• Among the Savage Redskins of the Amazon by Harold Wildish (1961)
• Arrows of His Bow by Sanna Morrison Barlow (1966)
• Peace Child by Don Richardson (1974)
• Lords of the Earth by Don Richardson (1977)
• From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya by Ruth Tucker (1983)
• John and Betty Stam by Kathleen White (1989)
• Let My People Go by A.W. Tozer (1990)
• Eric Liddell by Catherine Swift (1990)
• Torches of Joy by John Dekker (1992)
• An Ordinary Man—A Great God by Joy Mielke (2011)
• Mountain Rain by Eileen Crossman and M.E. Tewskesbury (2013)
• Beneath the Ancient Dust by Melissa Meyers (2018)
• Daring Dependence by M.R. Conrad (2022)