In March 1981 a film was released titled Chariots of Fire which went on to win four Oscars including Best Picture. The film was about a group of British athletes who took part in the Olympic Games when it was held in Paris in 1924. Now, exactly 100 years after the story of those athletes took place, Paris is preparing to hold the Games again.
The 1924 Olympics was marked by several outstanding feats of courage and absorbing drama. One of these moving stories was shown in the Chariots of Fire. A British athlete who took part in those games was Eric Liddell. He was a deeply religious man who observed all the tenets of Christianity.
During the 1924 Games, when Liddell came to know that his event, the 100-meter sprint, where he could have won, was scheduled to be conducted on a Sunday, he refused to run. Because Sunday is the Sabbath day which is a holy day and no work should be done. Even though the then-Prince of Wales tried to persuade him, he rejected all arguments and stuck to his decision. He was therefore disqualified from the race.
However, he did win a gold medal in another race which was the 400 metres run. His record in this race stood unconquered for 12 years and he also won many other notable victories later. But his life ended in a tragedy. After leaving sports, he went to China to work as a Christian missionary.
Sad end to his life
When Japan invaded China during the Second World War, the British government instructed all British nationals to leave China. Liddell’s wife and children returned to Britain but Liddell himself refused to leave his missionary work. The Japanese conquerors went on a rampage and mass arrests followed. Liddell too was taken into custody. He was kept in a concentration camp where his health failed due to overwork and malnutrition. Eventually he died on 21st February, 1945, far away from his family and his native land. It was a sad end to the life of a great Olympic champion.
Swimmer who acted as Tarzan
Another participant who created a sensation in the Olympics of 1924 was swimmer Johnny Weissmuller of the USA. The 6-feet-3 inches tall swimmer who had the looks of a film star won three gold medals in the swimming competitions. His charming personality caught the eye of film producers of Hollywood and he was approached to play the role of Tarzan on the silver screen.
The famous author Edgar Rice Burroughs who created the character of Tarzan was highly pleased with the discovery and he felt that Johnny was perfect for the part. He went on to act as Tarzan in 12 films from 1932 to 1948. Till today, when one thinks of Tarzan, the name that first comes to mind is that of Johnny Weissmuller.
Weissmuller was not just a film hero but a hero in real life too. On several occasions he saved people from drowning. One instance was in 1927 when he saved 11 people from drowning after a boat accident. In old age he suffered a series of strokes and finally died on January 20, 1984. At his funeral he was honoured by two of his greatest fans– Senator Ted Kennedy and President Ronald Ragan (himself a former Hollywood actor).
Record unbroken for 100 years
It was at the 1924 Olympics that one of the greatest ever long distance runners, Paavo Nurmi of Finland, created a record that has not been broken even after 100 years and perhaps never be broken. He bagged five gold medals, the best haul by any runner in a single edition of the Olympic Games. Earlier, he had already won two Golds and finally ended up with nine gold medals.
At his peak, Nurmi was undefeated for 121 races at distances ranging from 800 meters to 10,000 meters. Throughout his 14-year career, he remained unbeaten in cross-country events. He was truly the king of long-distance running and is remembered even today.
Birth of traditions
The 1924 Games also set some traditions that have stayed alive for a century. The distance of the marathon race was set at exactly 42.195 kilometres at the Paris Olympics of 1924. The Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger) was also coined in 1924. A record number of 44 countries took part.
Helen Wills of the USA considered one of the greatest female tennis players in history, took part in the Paris Olympics of 1924 when she was only 19 years old and won two Gold medals.
The USA with 45 Gold medals, 27 Silver, and 27 Bronze medals finished at the topmost country in the medal table followed by Finland and then France. As far as India was concerned, the 1924 Olympics was the third games in which an Indian contingent took part. Seven athletes from India participated but failed to win any medals.
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