Flood honoured with Eric Liddell award

Olympic rower Debbie Flood has been honoured with an Eric Liddell Award, in recognition of her outstanding character on and off the sports field.

The award was presented to the double Olympian, who is also a prison officer, working with young offenders, in the memory of athlete Eric Liddell, whose story is immortalised in the Oscar winning film ‘Chariots of Fire’.

Flood, who is a former Judo player, and a talented runner, as well as double silver winning Olympian, has won three World Championship Gold medals as a rower. But she missed out on a medal this year, despite reaching the final of the Women’s Quad.

Crucially she is as well known for her commitment to Godly living, as she is for her Goldy successes.

In this way, she captures the spirit of the Liddell Awards, which are named for the champion runner who dedicated his life outside of Athletics, to the service of others.

He eventually died while interned in a prisoner of war camp during World War Two. His story is told here.

His eldest daughter, 77 year old Patricia Liddell Russell said, “He was a wonderful dad and it’s great the award is given to these athletes because there’s more to winning gold than winning gold.”

The award was presented by More Than Gold, a Christian outreach organization which seeks to enable local churches to engage with big sporting events in host cities around the world.

The organisation made the awards during the inaugural Legacy Award breakfast, held in Liddell’s honour.

The awards were given to Olympians who ‘display outstanding character at home, in their community and on the field of competition.’

The male recipient of the award was the 2008 Olympic decathlon gold medalist from the USA, Bryan Clay.

He said: “It’s a huge award, it means a lot to me that people think that what I do off the track is worthy of praise. My faith plays a huge role in my life and it’s amazing that somebody recognizes that.”