An Olympic Anniversary
100 years ago, one of the most significant Olympic Games of modern times was held in Paris. It was the Olympics of Paavo Nurmi, Johnny Weissmuller, and Eric Liddell. This year the Olympics will be back in Paris, so it seems like a good time to think about Paris 1924.
In 1924, Richard Norris Williams won a gold medal in the Tennis mixed doubles. OK, good for him, you may be thinking, but why’s that big news? The main reason is because 12 years earlier, while on his way to America to take up a place at Harvard, his ship hit a problem. A big problem. In fact, an iceberg.
The ship was, of course, the Titanic and Williams (unlike his father who died in the disaster) only just survived. Jumping into the sea, he swam to a lifeboat where he was met by a doctor who examined him and declared that his frozen legs needed to be amputated immediately. “I'm going to need these legs!" Williams replied. He was right.
But the gold (and bronze) medallist I’m particularly interested in was Eric Liddell, who refused to run on a Sunday and so seemed to have thrown away his chance of winning gold. The story of his eventual success is told brilliantly in the multi-Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire whose music you will recognise even if you’ve never seen the movie (but do watch it if you can!).
Liddell’s amazing life story has been told in several fascinating books, including For the Glory by Duncan Hamilton and The Flying Scotsman by Sally Magnusson.
My own contribution is a children’s book, The Race, which tells the story that Chariots of Fire missed out: Liddell’s incredible and heroic life after the Olympics. If you would like to read more about the backstory to the book, please have a look at this article I wrote for The Scotsman.
I suspect we’re going to hear a lot more about Liddell this year, so keep your eyes peeled. It’s a story that never dims.