Calendar
LOGO Calendar 2026 – June: Lawrence Lemieux
On 24 September 1988, at the Seoul Olympic Games, Larry Lemieux wrote an extraordinary page in the history of sport, giving up everything in exchange for eternal glory. This is the story of a gentleman who showed that sometimes, in order to win, you must be prepared to lose.
A Canadian from Edmonton, born in 1955, Lawrence embodies the very image of a man of the sea – wind-tossed hair, weathered features on skin permanently flushed like that of someone who spends his days scanning the horizon where it meets the water, and a thick moustache that we like to imagine steeped in salt and stories.
The youngest of six siblings, Lawrence began sailing as a child on Lake Wabamun, west of Edmonton. At the Los Angeles Olympics, he narrowly missed the podium. Determined to try again, he returned four years later in Seoul – confident in his abilities and ready to claim an Olympic medal.
A gentleman named Larry Lemieux: when winning means losing
To succeed on the waters off South Korea, Larry had to complete a series of seven races. Depending on the time accumulated and the positions gained against his competitors, the overall victory would – or would not – be his. On that calm day in late September, the fifth race was about to begin. The wind was moderate, around 10–15 knots, perfect conditions for Olympic sailing. Two regattas were being contested simultaneously that day: the 470 class (boats of about seven metres, with a two-person crew) and the Finn class (under five metres, sailed single-handed).
Lawrence Lemieux was competing in the Finn class. Alone.
For Larry the situation looked promising. Thanks to strong results in the previous races, with only two regattas remaining he was well placed for a near-certain podium finish, provided he delivered another solid performance.
The Canadian sailor’s face expressed the calm confidence of someone who had trained his entire life for moments like this.
The race began, and the early signs confirmed it: Lemieux’s boat was moving beautifully. With the wind behind him he surged ahead of several rivals, settling into second place. All he needed to do was manage the closing stages and a place on the podium would almost certainly be his.
But the wind – as if jealous of this anticipated victory – suddenly became the protagonist of our story and changed Larry Lemieux’s destiny forever.
With gusts reaching 35 knots, the wind began to whip up the sea, tossing the boats about like loose sheets of paper. The swell grew stronger, higher and more threatening. Our sailor held his course and continued racing. The medal was within reach, and the sudden change in conditions would not – and must not – ruin his plans.
Then, approaching a buoy, Larry spotted two figures struggling in the waves. A little further away he saw a damaged boat, capsized. It was the Singaporean 470, competing in another race category.
“The first rule of sailing is that if you see someone in trouble, you must help them.”
Larry did not hesitate. He abandoned the racing line and steered straight towards the two sailors in difficulty. With remarkable composure he hauled the two sailors aboard, one of them injured after being battered by the waves. With both men on board, Larry managed to keep his own boat stable despite the opposing wind and, with great effort, waited for a South Korean rescue vessel to arrive and take charge of the exhausted Olympic sailors.
By then his race was compromised. He returned to the course simply to honour the competition, eventually finishing twenty-first. In Lemieux’s eyes there was disappointment at having lost an extraordinary opportunity – but also the certainty that he had done the right thing, putting the safety of fellow sailors before personal victory.
Sometimes, however, an honest and courageous gesture draws more admiration than any sporting performance.
In the middle of the medal ceremony, the President of the International Olympic Committee took the floor and addressed Larry Lemieux directly:
“For the sportsmanship, sacrifice and courage you have shown, you have truly embodied the ideals of the Olympic Games.”
Following this public recognition, he was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal, created to honour athletes whose actions exemplify sportsmanship, fairness and respect for their opponents.
Larry’s smile spread beneath his thick moustache, which covered his face. He became the first – and still the only – Canadian to receive the award, and only the second athlete ever to be honoured with it.
After the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Lemieux continued competing. He never won an Olympic medal, but achieved notable success, including first place at the Finn European Championships.
After retiring from competition, he became a sailing coach. He now lives with his family in Seba Beach, Alberta, in Canada, close to Lake Wabamun, the same waters where he first learned to battle the wind as a child.
On the day the sea seemed ready to rob Larry of his destiny, he lost what had been almost a certain medal – but found glory in the most unexpected, and perhaps the most honourable, way.
Because champions can be made, but gentlemen are born. And Larry Lemieux is one of them.