Speaker 1: Welcome to Spotlight Advanced.
Speaker 2: I'm Andrew Davis and I'm Megan Nolette. Spotlight uses a
Speaker 2: special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people
Speaker 2: to understand no matter where in the world they live.
Speaker 1: His top event was the one hundred meter dash. He
Speaker 1: was the fastest in the world. He dreamed of winning
Speaker 1: a gold medal for his country. He was favored to
Speaker 1: win the Olympic Games that year. He trained hard and
Speaker 1: was ready. Then something happened that forced him to make
Speaker 1: a choice. It was the most difficult decision of his life.
Speaker 1: The Flying Scotsman sat down.
Speaker 2: On today's Spotlight, we look at the life of Eric Little.
Speaker 2: He was one of the competitors in the nineteen twenty
Speaker 2: four Summer Olympics Games in Paris. He entered three running events.
Speaker 2: Eric was also a Christian. One of these events caused
Speaker 2: conflict with his beliefs. He had to choose whether to compete.
Speaker 2: Many still remember his decision today.
Speaker 1: Eric Liddle's parents were Scottish, but they spread their faith
Speaker 1: in China while living as Christian missionaries. They raised Little
Speaker 1: to be a follower of Jesus. Later, he went to
Speaker 1: a special school for the sons of missionaries There he
Speaker 1: developed a talent for sports. He performed well at rugby,
Speaker 1: cricket and track. He was very fast. He won all
Speaker 1: the school races. In college, Liddle continued to do very
Speaker 1: well in rugby and track. Local newspapers called him the
Speaker 1: Flying Scotsman because because of his speed. He earned a
Speaker 1: place on Great Britain's Olympic team.
Speaker 3: Eric said, I believe God made me for a purpose,
Speaker 3: but he also made me fast, and when I run,
Speaker 3: I feel his pleasure.
Speaker 2: In the Summer Olympics, Little was to compete in the
Speaker 2: one hundred meter dash, the two hundred meter dash, and
Speaker 2: the four hundred meter dash. The fastest runners competed in
Speaker 2: these three races. The one hundred meter dash was Little's
Speaker 2: best event. Many thought he would win the gold medal,
Speaker 2: but he learned that the qualifying races were on Sunday.
Speaker 2: These events were when the top runners earned a spot
Speaker 2: in the final competition. However, Little believed that Sunday was
Speaker 2: the Sabbath. The Sabbath is the one day of the
Speaker 2: week when Christians rest. It is a day to focus
Speaker 2: on God. Little did not work or compete on Sundays.
Speaker 1: The Book of Exodus is part of the Christian Bible,
Speaker 1: it says, remember the Sabbath day. By keeping it holy
Speaker 1: six days, you will do all your work. But the
Speaker 1: seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.
Speaker 1: On it you should not do any work.
Speaker 2: Little had to decide if winning a gold medal was
Speaker 2: more important than his beliefs. It would only be one day.
Speaker 2: Little could honor the sabbath for the rest of his life.
Speaker 2: The sacrifice would before his country. No one would blame him.
Speaker 2: He did not want to disappoint anyone, but he also
Speaker 2: wanted to follow his religion's command. Jenny Somerville, Eric's sister, said.
Speaker 4: He was under great pressure. He was very upset. Am
Speaker 4: I doing the right thing? By not running? Am I
Speaker 4: letting king and country down?
Speaker 1: King George the Fifth was the King of England. He
Speaker 1: tried to persuade Eric to race, but Eric decided his
Speaker 1: religious beliefs were more important than anything else. He would
Speaker 1: not compete. I am not running, he announced. He spoke
Speaker 1: in a Paris church on Sunday as they ran the
Speaker 1: qualifying races for the one hundred meter dash.
Speaker 2: The two hundred meter and four hundred meter dashes were
Speaker 2: not Little's best races. He was much faster at shorter distances.
Speaker 2: He was not expected to so win either race. In
Speaker 2: the two hundred meter dash final, he came in third place.
Speaker 2: He won the bronze medal.
Speaker 1: He barely managed to qualify for the finals of the
Speaker 1: four hundred meter dash. He was given the outside lane
Speaker 1: number eight. Runners considered this the hardest lane. The runners
Speaker 1: covered a slightly longer distance due to the curve of
Speaker 1: the track. Also, he could not see the other runners.
Speaker 1: Because he was so far outside, he did not know
Speaker 1: how well he was doing. No one thought Little had
Speaker 1: a chance to win.
Speaker 2: One of Little's trainers gave him a note on the
Speaker 2: morning of the four hundred meter dash final. It read,
Speaker 2: in the old book, it says he that honors me,
Speaker 2: I will honor wishing you the best of success always.
Speaker 1: Little recognized that his trainer was referring to a Bible verse.
Speaker 1: This note helped Little believe in himself. During the race,
Speaker 1: he decided he would run the entire race with all
Speaker 1: his ability. He could not see his other competitors from
Speaker 1: the eighth lane, so he would not worry about looking.
Speaker 1: He ran as fast as he could the whole way.
Speaker 1: Eric raced around the track with his head held back
Speaker 1: and his arms pumping wildly. He was determined not to
Speaker 1: stop until he crossed the finish line. When he finally did,
Speaker 1: he realized that he had won the race and a
Speaker 1: gold medal. He had also set a new world record
Speaker 1: for the four hundred meter dash.
Speaker 2: After the Olympics, people celebrated Little as a hero. He
Speaker 2: spoke at many events. He talked about his Olympic victory,
Speaker 2: but always gave credit to his faith. He then returned
Speaker 2: to China, where he was born. Like his parents, he
Speaker 2: also served as a Christian missionary.
Speaker 1: When Japan invaded China during World War II, Little was
Speaker 1: held in a camp with others. He continued helping people
Speaker 1: and making them happier. He taught children. Years later, someone
Speaker 1: from the camp wrote a book about their experiences. He
Speaker 1: said about Little.
Speaker 5: He was the finest gentleman. It has been my pleasure
Speaker 5: to meet in All the time in the camp, I
Speaker 5: never heard him say a bad word about anybody.
Speaker 2: England's Prime Minister Winston Churchill finally arranged for a prisoner
Speaker 2: exchange with Japan so that Little could be released, but
Speaker 2: Eric refused to go. Instead, he gave up his freedom
Speaker 2: so that a pregnant woman could go in his place.
Speaker 2: A year later, Little died from a brain tumor while
Speaker 2: still in the camp.
Speaker 1: Have you ever had to make a choice based on
Speaker 1: your beliefs? What did you do? Do you feel you
Speaker 1: made the right choice. You can leave a comment on
Speaker 1: our website at www dot Spotlight English dot com. You
Speaker 1: can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and x.
Speaker 1: You can also get our programs delivered directly to your
Speaker 1: Android or Apple device through our free Spotlight English app.
Speaker 2: The writer of this program was Peter Anderson. The producer
Speaker 2: was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the
Speaker 2: United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted
Speaker 2: for this program and voiced by Spotlight. This program is
Speaker 2: called The Flying Scotsman.
Speaker 1: We hope you can join us again for the next
Speaker 1: Spotlight program. Goodbye,