Eric Liddell: Chariots of Fire sprinter who refused to run heats

Eric Liddell, the Olympic gold medallist immortalised in the film Chariots of Fire, would have been dismayed by the jingoistic and professionalised nature of modern athletics, his daughter has said.

Liddell came to epitomise the amateur sporting ethic. The devout Christian refused to run in the heats for his preferred event, the 100 metres, because they were held on a Sunday.

Patricia Russell told Radio Times: "Everything has become so national now. He was the fastest on the day. Not every day, but that day. That was enough for him."