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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Spotlight Advanced.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm Andrew Davis and I'm Megan Nolette. Spotlight uses a

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<v Speaker 2>special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people

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<v Speaker 2>to understand no matter where in the world they live.

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<v Speaker 1>His top event was the one hundred meter dash. He

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<v Speaker 1>was the fastest in the world. He dreamed of winning

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<v Speaker 1>a gold medal for his country. He was favored to

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<v Speaker 1>win the Olympic Games that year. He trained hard and

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<v Speaker 1>was ready. Then something happened that forced him to make

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<v Speaker 1>a choice. It was the most difficult decision of his life.

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<v Speaker 1>The Flying Scotsman sat down.

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<v Speaker 2>On today's Spotlight, we look at the life of Eric Little.

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<v Speaker 2>He was one of the competitors in the nineteen twenty

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<v Speaker 2>four Summer Olympics Games in Paris. He entered three running events.

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<v Speaker 2>Eric was also a Christian. One of these events caused

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<v Speaker 2>conflict with his beliefs. He had to choose whether to compete.

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<v Speaker 2>Many still remember his decision today.

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<v Speaker 1>Eric Liddle's parents were Scottish, but they spread their faith

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<v Speaker 1>in China while living as Christian missionaries. They raised Little

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<v Speaker 1>to be a follower of Jesus. Later, he went to

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<v Speaker 1>a special school for the sons of missionaries There he

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<v Speaker 1>developed a talent for sports. He performed well at rugby,

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<v Speaker 1>cricket and track. He was very fast. He won all

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<v Speaker 1>the school races. In college, Liddle continued to do very

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<v Speaker 1>well in rugby and track. Local newspapers called him the

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<v Speaker 1>Flying Scotsman because because of his speed. He earned a

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<v Speaker 1>place on Great Britain's Olympic team.

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<v Speaker 3>Eric said, I believe God made me for a purpose,

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<v Speaker 3>but he also made me fast, and when I run,

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<v Speaker 3>I feel his pleasure.

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<v Speaker 2>In the Summer Olympics, Little was to compete in the

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<v Speaker 2>one hundred meter dash, the two hundred meter dash, and

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<v Speaker 2>the four hundred meter dash. The fastest runners competed in

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<v Speaker 2>these three races. The one hundred meter dash was Little's

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<v Speaker 2>best event. Many thought he would win the gold medal,

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<v Speaker 2>but he learned that the qualifying races were on Sunday.

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<v Speaker 2>These events were when the top runners earned a spot

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<v Speaker 2>in the final competition. However, Little believed that Sunday was

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<v Speaker 2>the Sabbath. The Sabbath is the one day of the

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<v Speaker 2>week when Christians rest. It is a day to focus

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<v Speaker 2>on God. Little did not work or compete on Sundays.

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<v Speaker 1>The Book of Exodus is part of the Christian Bible,

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<v Speaker 1>it says, remember the Sabbath day. By keeping it holy

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<v Speaker 1>six days, you will do all your work. But the

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<v Speaker 1>seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.

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<v Speaker 1>On it you should not do any work.

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<v Speaker 2>Little had to decide if winning a gold medal was

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<v Speaker 2>more important than his beliefs. It would only be one day.

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<v Speaker 2>Little could honor the sabbath for the rest of his life.

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<v Speaker 2>The sacrifice would before his country. No one would blame him.

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<v Speaker 2>He did not want to disappoint anyone, but he also

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<v Speaker 2>wanted to follow his religion's command. Jenny Somerville, Eric's sister, said.

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<v Speaker 4>He was under great pressure. He was very upset. Am

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<v Speaker 4>I doing the right thing? By not running? Am I

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<v Speaker 4>letting king and country down?

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<v Speaker 1>King George the Fifth was the King of England. He

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<v Speaker 1>tried to persuade Eric to race, but Eric decided his

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<v Speaker 1>religious beliefs were more important than anything else. He would

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<v Speaker 1>not compete. I am not running, he announced. He spoke

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<v Speaker 1>in a Paris church on Sunday as they ran the

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<v Speaker 1>qualifying races for the one hundred meter dash.

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<v Speaker 2>The two hundred meter and four hundred meter dashes were

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<v Speaker 2>not Little's best races. He was much faster at shorter distances.

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<v Speaker 2>He was not expected to so win either race. In

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<v Speaker 2>the two hundred meter dash final, he came in third place.

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<v Speaker 2>He won the bronze medal.

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<v Speaker 1>He barely managed to qualify for the finals of the

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<v Speaker 1>four hundred meter dash. He was given the outside lane

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<v Speaker 1>number eight. Runners considered this the hardest lane. The runners

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<v Speaker 1>covered a slightly longer distance due to the curve of

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<v Speaker 1>the track. Also, he could not see the other runners.

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<v Speaker 1>Because he was so far outside, he did not know

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<v Speaker 1>how well he was doing. No one thought Little had

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<v Speaker 1>a chance to win.

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<v Speaker 2>One of Little's trainers gave him a note on the

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<v Speaker 2>morning of the four hundred meter dash final. It read,

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<v Speaker 2>in the old book, it says he that honors me,

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<v Speaker 2>I will honor wishing you the best of success always.

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<v Speaker 1>Little recognized that his trainer was referring to a Bible verse.

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<v Speaker 1>This note helped Little believe in himself. During the race,

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<v Speaker 1>he decided he would run the entire race with all

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<v Speaker 1>his ability. He could not see his other competitors from

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<v Speaker 1>the eighth lane, so he would not worry about looking.

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<v Speaker 1>He ran as fast as he could the whole way.

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<v Speaker 1>Eric raced around the track with his head held back

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<v Speaker 1>and his arms pumping wildly. He was determined not to

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<v Speaker 1>stop until he crossed the finish line. When he finally did,

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<v Speaker 1>he realized that he had won the race and a

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<v Speaker 1>gold medal. He had also set a new world record

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<v Speaker 1>for the four hundred meter dash.

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<v Speaker 2>After the Olympics, people celebrated Little as a hero. He

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<v Speaker 2>spoke at many events. He talked about his Olympic victory,

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<v Speaker 2>but always gave credit to his faith. He then returned

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<v Speaker 2>to China, where he was born. Like his parents, he

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<v Speaker 2>also served as a Christian missionary.

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<v Speaker 1>When Japan invaded China during World War II, Little was

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<v Speaker 1>held in a camp with others. He continued helping people

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<v Speaker 1>and making them happier. He taught children. Years later, someone

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<v Speaker 1>from the camp wrote a book about their experiences. He

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<v Speaker 1>said about Little.

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<v Speaker 5>He was the finest gentleman. It has been my pleasure

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<v Speaker 5>to meet in All the time in the camp, I

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<v Speaker 5>never heard him say a bad word about anybody.

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<v Speaker 2>England's Prime Minister Winston Churchill finally arranged for a prisoner

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<v Speaker 2>exchange with Japan so that Little could be released, but

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<v Speaker 2>Eric refused to go. Instead, he gave up his freedom

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<v Speaker 2>so that a pregnant woman could go in his place.

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<v Speaker 2>A year later, Little died from a brain tumor while

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<v Speaker 2>still in the camp.

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<v Speaker 1>Have you ever had to make a choice based on

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<v Speaker 1>your beliefs? What did you do? Do you feel you

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<v Speaker 1>made the right choice. You can leave a comment on

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<v Speaker 1>our website at www dot Spotlight English dot com. You

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<v Speaker 1>can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and x.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also get our programs delivered directly to your

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<v Speaker 1>Android or Apple device through our free Spotlight English app.

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<v Speaker 2>The writer of this program was Peter Anderson. The producer

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<v Speaker 2>was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the

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<v Speaker 2>United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted

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<v Speaker 2>for this program and voiced by Spotlight. This program is

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<v Speaker 2>called The Flying Scotsman.

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<v Speaker 1>We hope you can join us again for the next

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<v Speaker 1>Spotlight program. Goodbye,