16/07/2024
100 years ago, the Paris Olympic champion dedicated his life to China.
In ten days, the will open, which is the return of the Olympic Games to Paris after 100 years.
The 1924 Paris Olympic Games, there are many pioneering practices, such as the first introduction of the "faster, higher, stronger" Olympic motto, the first introduction of the concept of the Olympic village... At the same time, the Games also emerged a number of legendary stars. For the Chinese, the biggest star of the Games may be a British Olympic champion - not only because he broke the world record to win the men's 400 meters, his Olympic story adaptation of the film Chariots of Fire won four Academy Awards, but also because he was born in China, died in China, devoted his life to China.
His name is Eric Lidier. His Chinese name is Li Airui(李爱锐). Today, in the Tianjin Sports Museum, there is a special chapter to introduce Li Airui's life and legend.
Li Airui was born in 1902 in Tianjin, China, to Scottish parents. At the age of five, Li returned to Scotland for education, and he showed good athletic talent from childhood, always topping the school running races. He also became captain of the school's rugby and cricket teams. In 1920, Li Airui entered the University of Edinburgh to study, his sports talent is more prominent, many times in Scotland and even the whole UK in track and field competitions won the sprint championship.
At the 1924 Paris Olympics, Li was one of the strongest contenders for the gold medal in the 100-meter race. However, the early release of the Olympic schedule showed that the dates of the men's 100 meters and the 4X100 meters relay conflicted with his religious activities, so he decided to drop them and compete in the men's 200 meters and 400 meters instead. The decision was controversial at the time, after all, he was not good at these two games, and left him only a few months to prepare.
But Li succeeded in the end. He not only won the bronze medal in the men's 200 meters, but also broke the world record in the men's 400 meters in 47.06 seconds.
Flowers, applause, honor followed. However, Li made another surprising decision - after receiving a science degree from the University of Edinburgh, he returned to his birthplace of Tianjin and settled there at the age of 23, the peak of his athletic career.
Until today, many people are still puzzled by Li Airui's choice. Zhao Yan, a staff member of Tianjin Sports Museum, analyzed that Li Airui returned to Tianjin, on the one hand, for family reasons, his parents have been in Tianjin, and he hopes to reunite his family; Another reason is his value choice, he feels that his future and life, only in China will be more valuable. As Li Airui once said: everyone from birth to death, although it seems to be standing on the same runway, but each person does different things, so the meaning of life is also different.
Back in Tianjin, Li became a science and physical education teacher at a middle school. He taught chemistry, mathematics, and trained sports talents to spread the Olympic flame. With his efforts, the school set up a football team, basketball team, baseball team, table tennis team, volleyball team, etc., which became the most popular and highest level of sports in Tianjin at that time.
"Minyuan Stadium" is the most famous stadium in Tianjin in the first half of the 20th century. When it was renovated in 1925, Li Airui referred to the design drawings of Stamford Bridge Stadium in the United Kingdom, and put forward a series of suggestions on its runway structure, lighting equipment, and the level of stands, which eventually made the renovated Minyuan Stadium one of the best stadiums in Asia at that time. In 1929, the Minyuan Stadium held a popular "All Nations track and field games", Li Airui in the men's 500 meters final defeated the German track and field star Otto Felsa, won the last gold medal in his life.
In 1934, at the age of 32, Li married a Canadian girl, F Mackenzie, in Tianjin, and later gave birth to two daughters. But the outbreak of the Second World War destroyed countless beautiful families around the world. Having experienced the ruthlessness and cruelty of the war, Li sent his pregnant wife and children back to Canada in 1941, while he remained in Tianjin, helping to treat wounded soldiers and assist refugees. In 1943, Li was arrested by the Japanese army and imprisoned in the Wei County (now Weifang) concentration camp.
In the concentration camp, Li Airui taught science and organized sports activities for young people, and infected other prisoners with an optimistic attitude. However, his long captivity and malnutrition took a toll on his health. In early 1945, Li Airui died of a brain tumor and ended his short 43-year life journey. In 1988, the cemetery monument of Li Airui was unveiled in Weifang. The monument was made of granite from his hometown of Mull, Scotland. It was engraved with an inscription in Chinese and English. The front reads: "They should be able to fly with wings and be eagles with wings; They should be able to race forward and never feel tired."
Li Airui's story and legend have been celebrated by the world, and people from all over the world have come to Tianjin to follow Li Airui's footsteps. This year, on the 100th anniversary of his gold medal in the Paris Olympic Games, a number of commemorative exhibitions were held for Li Airui.
The representative of the Scottish Government in China, Cora Chunna, said that Li Airui is a hero and idol of the Scottish people and a good friend of the Chinese people. He will be remembered for his passion, integrity, empathy, zest for life and love of society, in addition to being an Olympic champion and having outstanding sporting achievements.
Liu Jianbin, director of the Tianjin Sports Museum, believes that no matter how the identity and environment change, Li Airui's heart is the same - adhere to and practice his simple faith, the pursuit of the meaning of life. This spirit and power travels through time and space and inspires people.
