Lawrence Lemieux
| Lawrence Lemieux | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Lawrence Lemieux November 12, 1955 Edmonton, Alberta |
| Occupation | Sailing coach |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Canada
|
||
| Sailing | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
Pierre de Coubertin medal | 1988 |
Lawrence Lemieux (born November 12, 1955 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian sailor, who competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in the Star Class and at the 1988 Summer Olympics in the Finn class. He is famous for his actions in the latter competition, which resulted in him being awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal.
Lemieux grew up sailing on Wabamun Lake west of Edmonton with his five older brothers. He began racing solo boats in the 1970s.
On September 24, 1988, the sailing competition was underway at Busan, 450 kilometers from South Korea's capital of Seoul, the main Olympic site. At the time, the 470 and Finn classes were running races on their respective courses. The wind suddenly picked up, blowing 35 knots, and the Singapore team's dinghy with Joseph Chan and Siew Shaw Her aboard capsized. The men were thrown from the boat as it tipped over and were injured, in need of assistance. At this time, Lemieux was running the fifth of the seven total races to determine the medalists in the Finn class and was in second place, which would be more than enough to ensure him a place in the medal round. Near the halfway point of his race, Lemieux spotted the Singapore shipwreck and deviated from his course to assist in rescuing Chan and Siew. After pulling them from the water, Lemieux waited for a patrol boat to take the rescued sailors back to shore. Once that happened, he rejoined the Finn heat, coming in twenty-second place. However, due to his actions, the International Yacht Racing Union decided to reinstate Lemieux's position when he went off course, rewarding him with a second-place finish in his race.
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