Centenary celebrations – 100 years on from Paris gold for Eric Liddell
Photo via the Eric Liddell community
Eric Liddell – the life of a legend of Scottish track and field
Eric Liddell won the most famous Olympic gold in Scottish track and field history 100 years ago today.
Friday 11 July 1924 was the dateline in Paris for the Scot’s iconic 400m victory which was also a World Record at the time.
The devout Christian had of course turned down to run the 100m a few days earlier as he did not want to compete on a Sunday,
Now, a century on, Eilidh Doyle believes Liddell’s win over the one-lap distance was a mental triumph as well as a stunning physical achievement. The time of 47.6 seconds was acknowledged as a World Record.
‘I think Eric’s 400m gold just shows, not only his physical capabilities, but also that mindset to say to himself ‘this isn’t going to be a barrier for me, I’m just going to go and do that‘,’ Eilidh told BBC Scotland.
‘The 400m is known as one of the hardest events in athletics. To then go and win and run the fastest time in history, at that moment, was incredible.
‘He is a huge legend in our sport and it is right and fitting that we remember him this year – especially with the Olympics being back in Paris.’
To mark the Centenary, we have partnered with the Eric Liddell Foundation on a number of projects.
We have named the 131st Scottish Senior Championships after Eric and these take place at Grangemouth over the weekend of August 17/18.
We have a series of Eric Liddell Special Recognition Awards to be presented to volunteers in the sport who exemplify Eric’s spirit.
Working with our partners at jogscotland and SAMH, we have the Eric Liddell 100 Virtual 5k which is on-going through July and August
And we have a resource section online on this site to help schools, clubs and other organisations learn more about this icon of our sport.
WANT TO READ MORE ?
Eric Liddell – the life of a legend of Scottish track and field
Susan Egelstaff column read in the Herald
Still inspiring after 100 years – the Scotsman
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Tags: Eilidh Doyle, Eric Liddell, Eric Liddell 100, Eric Liddell Senior Champs
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