Airdate: TBD - FSN
Lawrence Lemieux had dreamed of sailing the open seas since his early years in landlocked Alberta, Canada. As a young man, Lemieux made sacrifices in order to save enough money to pursue his dream of sailing in the Olympics. He worked three jobs and lived out of his van for 15 years. Finally, in 1988, all of his hard work and determination paid off.
Lemieux qualified for the 1988 Summer Olympics, and on September 24, set sail with his Olympic competitors at Pusan, 32 kilometers from South Korea's capital of Seoul. But the weather suddenly turned, winds had increased from 15 to 35 knots, and boats were being tossed about on the raging sea.
Lemieux was halfway through his race and in second place, poised to take home an Olympic medal. But in the horizon, he spotted a capsized boat and several heads bobbing above the crashing waves. The Singaporean team, in a larger boat class, had lost control of their vessel. Lemieux took action, forgetting his own race, and sailed toward the endangered sailors. He dragged both men into his boat – single-handedly saving their lives.
Lemieux continued to race, but the loss of time during the rescue operation put him out of contention. He finished 22nd out of 32 boats in the field. Though Lemieux did not win a medal, he was singled out at the medal awards ceremony. Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the International Olympic Committee, awarded Lemieux the Pierre de Coubertin Medal for Sportsmanship. Lemieux may not have won a medal, but he embodied the Olympic spirit more than any gold medalist ever had.