“God made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure.” in the movie about his life: Chariots of Fire.
Born to missionary parents in China in 1902, Eric went to boarding school near London, England from the time he was five years old.
As a boy and young man, he excelled at athletics, but finally decided to concentrate on running competitions.
He qualified for the 1924 Paris Olympics, training for the 100 meter race.
However, he found that this was to be held on a Sunday. He took himself out of the competition because it was his Christian conviction not to compete on the Sabbath.
Instead he ran in the longer race – 400 meters – for which he had never trained and won the gold medal.
About that time, he committed himself to go to China as a missionary teacher.
He married the daughter of another missionary and they had two children in China.
However when the Japanese declared war on China, his wife, pregnant with their third child, returned to safety in Canada.
Eric was taken to an internment camp with 1500 other foreigners of all ages and occupations.
Eric’s special love was directed to the 300 children and teens who were imprisoned there too.
He served sacrificially in that place until he died of a brain tumor at age 42.
Eric was not an eloquent speaker but someone who knew him said, “He lived better than he preached."
