Harold Maurice Abrahams
LOCATION: United Kingdom
Harold Maurice Abrahams is a noted contributor to Encyclopaedia Britannica online. Read Britannica's biography of Harold Maurice Abrahams
Broadcaster and journalist. Chairman, British Amateur Athletic Board. Olympic Gold Medalist (100-metre dash), whose experiences at the 1924 Olympics provided the subject of the 1981 film Chariots of Fire, which emphasized Abrahams’ Judaism and portrayed his victory as a personal triumph over anti-Semitism. Author of The Olympic Games, 1896-1956.
Primary Contributions (1)
Olympic Games, athletic festival that originated in ancient Greece and was revived in the late 19th century. Before the 1970s the Games were officially limited to competitors with amateur status, but in the 1980s many events were opened to professional athletes. Currently, the Games are open to…
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Publications (1)
Running with Fire: The True Story of Chariots of Fire Hero Harold Abrahams (2012)
Immortalised in the film 'Chariots of Fire', Harold Abrahams remains one of the all-time-great British Olympians. But his true story, told for the first time in this official biography, is in many ways even more dramatic and moving than the distorted version previously seen on the big screen. Although it is true that Abrahams overcame anti-Semitism to become Britain's first 100 metres Olympic champion in 1924, Mark Ryan's powerful book reveals just how much more Harold suffered - and had to sacrifice...
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