SPORTS HISTORY BLOG
Over 250 articles on all aspects of Scottish sport
- Published on
Last night I watched The Real Chariots of Fire, with Nigel Havers waxing lyrically about Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams. Not the most taxing of viewing (you can see it again on STV Player), but it did prompt me to look out this programme from 1925, the SAAA annual championship at Hampden Park, where Liddell ran his last race.
It was a day of extraordinary performances. The programme opened with him winning his heat in the 100 yards, followed almost immediately by a record-equalling ten second time in the final. Next came the 220 yards, with a walkover in his heat and a winning time of 22 1/5 seconds in the final. In the 440 yards, his third cup of the day, breasting the tape in 49 1/5 seconds. And to round off the day, he ran the final leg of the one mile relay for the Edinburgh University team, another victory. Four races, four victories.
Two days later, Liddell left Edinburgh for the first leg of his journey to China, and never returned.
Postscript: it has been pointed out to me that Liddell continued running (and setting records) in China, so this was his last race in the UK.
It was a day of extraordinary performances. The programme opened with him winning his heat in the 100 yards, followed almost immediately by a record-equalling ten second time in the final. Next came the 220 yards, with a walkover in his heat and a winning time of 22 1/5 seconds in the final. In the 440 yards, his third cup of the day, breasting the tape in 49 1/5 seconds. And to round off the day, he ran the final leg of the one mile relay for the Edinburgh University team, another victory. Four races, four victories.
Two days later, Liddell left Edinburgh for the first leg of his journey to China, and never returned.
Postscript: it has been pointed out to me that Liddell continued running (and setting records) in China, so this was his last race in the UK.
0 Comments
Categories
- Aberdeen (1)
- Albion Rovers (1)
- Alloa (1)
- Arthur Kinnaird (3)
- Aston Villa (1)
- athletics (5)
- Australia (6)
- Ayrshire (8)
- Belgium (1)
- black heritage (18)
- Blackburn (1)
- boxing (1)
- Bridge of Allan (2)
- Cambridge (1)
- Canada (8)
- Celtic (1)
- collecting (2)
- cricket (10)
- curling (3)
- Darwen (5)
- Denmark (4)
- Dingwall (1)
- Dougray Scott (1)
- Doune (1)
- Dumbarton (1)
- Dunblane (10)
- Dundee (4)
- Dundee United (1)
- Edinburgh (28)
- England (15)
- Everton (1)
- FIFA (3)
- Film and TV (5)
- First World War (11)
- football (179)
- France (10)
- Germany (1)
- Glasgow (18)
- goal scoring (6)
- golf (1)
- gravestones (9)
- Grimsby (1)
- Hampden Park (5)
- heading (1)
- Heart of Midlothian (6)
- Helensburgh (1)
- Hibernian (2)
- hockey (2)
- Ice hockey (1)
- Italy (2)
- Juventus (1)
- Laws of the Game (8)
- Leith Athletic (1)
- lion taming (2)
- literature (8)
- Mexico (1)
- Newcastle United (1)
- Olympics (9)
- origins (63)
- Partick (5)
- Perthshire (2)
- photography (8)
- Poland (1)
- programmes (2)
- publications (25)
- Queen's Park (17)
- Rangers (5)
- record breaking (2)
- rowing (5)
- rugby (10)
- scandal (16)
- Scotland (103)
- South America (5)
- Spain (2)
- speedway (1)
- St Mirren (1)
- swimming (1)
- tennis (5)
- Third Lanark (6)
- Trophies (4)
- USA (4)
- women (6)
Archives
- September 2026 (1)
- August 2026 (2)
- July 2026 (1)
- June 2026 (1)
- March 2026 (1)
- December 2025 (1)
- November 2025 (3)
- October 2025 (1)
- August 2025 (1)
- June 2025 (1)
- May 2025 (3)
- April 2025 (1)
- March 2025 (1)
- February 2025 (1)
- January 2025 (2)
- December 2024 (1)
- October 2024 (2)
- September 2024 (1)
- July 2024 (1)
- April 2024 (2)
- February 2024 (1)
- June 2023 (1)
- February 2023 (1)
- January 2023 (1)
- December 2022 (1)
- November 2022 (2)
- September 2022 (1)
- July 2022 (1)
- June 2022 (1)
- May 2022 (1)
- March 2022 (1)
- February 2022 (3)
- January 2022 (1)
- December 2021 (1)
- November 2021 (1)
- October 2021 (1)
- September 2021 (1)
- August 2021 (1)
- July 2021 (4)
- June 2021 (1)
- May 2021 (2)
- April 2021 (1)
- March 2021 (1)
- January 2021 (1)
- December 2020 (1)
- November 2020 (1)
- October 2020 (5)
- September 2020 (2)
- August 2020 (1)
- July 2020 (1)
- June 2020 (1)
- May 2020 (1)
- April 2020 (2)
- March 2020 (2)
- January 2020 (1)
- December 2019 (1)
- October 2019 (1)
- September 2019 (1)
- August 2019 (2)
- July 2019 (1)
- June 2019 (1)
- May 2019 (2)
- March 2019 (1)
- January 2019 (3)
- November 2018 (1)
- October 2018 (2)
- September 2018 (2)
- August 2018 (1)
- July 2018 (1)
- June 2018 (1)
- May 2018 (3)
- April 2018 (1)
- March 2018 (1)
- February 2018 (1)
- January 2018 (1)
- December 2017 (1)
- November 2017 (1)
- October 2017 (1)
- September 2017 (2)
- August 2017 (1)
- June 2017 (3)
- May 2017 (3)
- March 2017 (2)
- February 2017 (2)
- January 2017 (2)
- October 2016 (3)
- September 2016 (1)
- August 2016 (1)
- July 2016 (1)
- June 2016 (1)
- May 2016 (2)
- April 2016 (1)
- March 2016 (2)
- February 2016 (1)
- January 2016 (1)
- December 2015 (1)
- November 2015 (1)
- October 2015 (2)
- September 2015 (2)
- August 2015 (2)
- July 2015 (2)
- May 2015 (1)
- April 2015 (1)
- March 2015 (1)
- February 2015 (1)
- December 2014 (3)
- November 2014 (3)
- October 2014 (4)
- September 2014 (4)
- August 2014 (2)
- July 2014 (4)
- June 2014 (2)
- May 2014 (5)
- April 2014 (2)
- March 2014 (2)
- February 2014 (3)
- January 2014 (3)
- December 2013 (3)
- November 2013 (3)
- October 2013 (4)
- September 2013 (3)
- August 2013 (3)
- July 2013 (4)
- May 2013 (3)
- April 2013 (2)
- March 2013 (5)
- February 2013 (1)
- January 2013 (3)
- December 2012 (2)
- November 2012 (5)
- October 2012 (2)
- September 2012 (4)
- August 2012 (3)
- July 2012 (4)
- June 2012 (4)
- May 2012 (1)
Author
All blog posts, unless stated, are written by Andy Mitchell.