Editing Chariots of Fire (section)

== Plot ==
During a 1978 funeral service in [[London]] in honour of the life of [[Harold Abrahams]], headed by his former colleague Lord Andrew Lindsay, there is a flashback to when he was young and in a group of athletes running along a beach.

In 1919, Harold Abrahams enters the [[University of Cambridge]], where he experiences [[antisemitism]] from the staff but enjoys participating in the [[Gilbert and Sullivan]] club. He becomes the first person to complete the [[Trinity Great Court#The Great Court Run|Trinity Great Court Run]], running around the college courtyard in the time it takes for the clock to strike 12, and achieves an undefeated string of victories in various national running competitions. Although focused on his running, he falls in love with [[Sybil Gordon]], a leading Gilbert and Sullivan soprano.{{efn|In real-life, Abrahams was engaged to [[Sybil Evers]], a different Gilbert-and-Sullivan performer.}}

[[Eric Liddell]], born in China to Scottish missionary parents, is in Scotland. His devout sister Jennie disapproves of Liddell's plans to pursue competitive running. Still, Liddell sees running as a way of glorifying God before returning to China to work as a missionary. When they first race against each other, Liddell beats Abrahams. Abrahams takes it poorly, but [[Sam Mussabini]], a professional trainer he had approached earlier, offers to take him on to improve his technique. This attracts criticism from the Cambridge college masters, who assert that it isn't gentlemanly for an amateur to "play the tradesman" by employing a professional coach. Abrahams dismisses this concern, interpreting it as cover for antisemitic and class-based prejudice.<!--This is pretty well backed up by Gielgud's character's comments concerning "a Semite," "a different god" etc--> When Liddell accidentally misses a church prayer meeting because of his running, Jennie upbraids him and accuses him of no longer caring about God. Eric tells her that though he intends to return eventually to the China mission, he feels divinely inspired when running and that not to run would be to dishonour God.

After years training and racing, the two athletes are accepted to represent Great Britain in the [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Olympics]] in Paris. Also accepted are Abrahams's Cambridge friends, Andrew Lindsay, [[Aubrey Montague]], and [[H. B. Stallard|Henry Stallard]]. While boarding the boat to France for the Olympics, Liddell discovers the heats for his 100-metre race will be on a Sunday. Despite intense pressure from the [[Edward VIII of the United Kingdom|Prince of Wales]] and the [[British Olympic Committee]], he refuses to run the race because his Christian convictions prevent him from running on the [[Lord's Day]]. A solution is found thanks to Liddell's teammate Lindsay, who, having already won a silver medal in the [[400 metres hurdles]], offers to give his place in the [[400 metres|400-metre race]] on the following Thursday to Liddell, who gratefully accepts. Liddell's religious convictions in the face of national athletic pride make headlines around the world; he delivers a sermon at the Paris [[Church of Scotland]] that Sunday, and quotes from [[wikisource:Bible (King James)/Isaiah#Chapter 40|Isaiah 40]].

Abrahams is badly beaten by the heavily favoured United States runners in the 200-metre race. He knows his last chance for a medal will be the 100 metres. He competes in the race and wins. His coach Mussabini, who was barred from the stadium, is overcome that the years' dedication and training have paid off with an Olympic gold medal. Now Abrahams can get on with his life and reunite with his girlfriend Sybil, whom he has neglected for the sake of running. Before Liddell's race, the American coach remarks dismissively to his runners that Liddell has little chance of doing well in his new, far longer, 400-metre race. But one of the American runners, [[Jackson Scholz]], hands Liddell a note of support that quotes {{Bibleverse|1 Samuel|2:30}}. Liddell defeats the American favourites and wins the gold medal. The British team returns home triumphant.

A textual [[epilogue]] reveals that Abrahams married Sybil and became the elder statesman of British athletics while Liddell went on to do missionary work and was mourned by all of Scotland following his death in [[Second Sino-Japanese War|Japanese-occupied China]].