When sailor Lawrence Lemieux sacrificed a medal to save lives at 1988 Olympics

At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Canadian sailor Lawrence Lemieux sacrificed his chance of winning a medal to save the lives of two of his fellow sailors. In the South Korean capital, life became tough for the sailors when the winds increased from 15 to 35 knots, making the boats struggle to maintain their balance.

Born in 1955, Lemieux, who was sailing in a one-man Finn dinghy, looked dominant at the halfway mark of the race and seemed a favorite to win the silver medal. This was when he faced a situation where he had to make a call. Due to the indifferent weather conditions, two Singapore sailors fell into the sea after their boats capsized.

Seeing the sailors fighting to survive amid the strong waves, Lemieux jumped off his boat and went to save them. After fulfilling his duties, Lemieux did return to the race but by then, it was too late as he had already lost the chance of winning a medal. He eventually finished 22nd out of the participating teams in the competition.

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Lawrence Lemieux was rewarded for his bravery

Despite not finishing on the podium, Lawrence Lemieux did not return empty-handed. Juan Antonio Samaranch, the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) President at the time, awarded the Canadian the prestigious Pierre de Coubertin Medal for his bravery and sportsmanship.

“You spend your life working really hard internationally and you get very few accolades. So that’s the ironic thing; 25 years after this rescue, we are still talking about it,” Lemieux said, as quoted by the Financial Times back in 2012.

At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Lemieux took part in the Star Class after which he shifted to Finn in 1988. After retiring, Lemieux became a coach and in 2008, the former sailor became a part of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

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