It's been 100 years since a Scottish runner famously refused to race on a Sunday at the Paris Olympics because of his Christian beliefs. Devout top athletes say elite sports performance still poses some hurdles for the faith practices that are central to their lives on and off the field.
because of his Christian beliefs. Devout top athletes say elite sports performance still poses some hurdles for the faith practices that are central to their lives on and off the field., much of the controversy has centered around Islam, because France’s unique secularism principles forbid its athletes from wearing headscarves as well as other visibly religious symbols - though the ban doesn’t affect Olympians from other countries.
Her refusal to race on a day dedicated to the Lord mirrors the 1924 saga of Eric Liddell, immortalized in the Oscar-winning movie Chariots of Fire. Liddell refused to run the heats on a Sunday in his strongest challenge, the 100-meter sprint, but went on to improbably win a gold medal in the 400-meter race.
“For a long time, my identity was in track and field,” she told The Associated Press days before the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. “But I realized that first and foremost, I’m a child of God. It set me free to run the race God has set out for me to run.” “That means being in the word, being in prayer, keeping that in the forefront and allowing that to be what centers my mind and not the outside voices of the world,” McLaughlin-Levrone said.
“Faith gives me the ability to stand firm and to keep going, and it reminds me that there’s always a larger and higher goal to pursue,” said Tunisian steeplechase runner Marwa Bouzayani, 27, as she trained for the ParisA devout Muslim who first competed at the Tokyo Games, she races the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase wearing modest attire, including a hijab or head covering.
Deutsch is a fan of both Bouzayani and McLaughlin-Levrone for their commitment to, and openness about, their faith. She hopes to be a model for Orthodox Jewish girls who might have never seen an elite athlete compete while dressed like them - head covering, long sleeves, skirt below the knee.
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