Eric Liddell was a Scottish athlete and missionary born in 1902 in Tianjin, China. A gifted sprinter and rugby player, he achieved international fame during the 1924 Paris Olympics, where he won gold in the 400 metres after declining to run the 100-metre heats due to his Sabbatarian convictions. Following his athletic success, he dedicated his life to religious service, moving to China to work as a missionary teacher. He spent his final years in a civilian internment camp during World War II, where he died in 1945.