Cyclist Greg LeMond receives highest congressional honor

World-renowned American cyclist Greg Lemond on Wednesday received the Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony held in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol building. LeMond served his country as a model of sportsmanship, excellence, and integrity, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said at the opening of the ceremony. After receiving the medal, LeMond thanked family and teammates for supporting his sports career. He was proud to be an American, he said.

Who is LeMond? He became the first and only American to win the grueling Tour de France cycling competition in 1986, according to the congressional act awarding him the medal. He also won the race in 1989 and 1990 and won the UCI Road World Championship twice before retiring from competitive cycling in 1994. His 1989 comeback to win his second Tour de France followed multiple surgeries to remove shotgun pellets after a hunting accident. LeMond was an outspoken opponent of performance-enhancing drugs and critic of several athletes who eventually admitted to doping, including Lance Armstrong. LeMond also in 2007 became a founding board member of 1in6, a nonprofit organization for male victims of child sexual abuse.

What is the Congressional Gold Medal? The award is Congress’ highest honor and is only awarded through a legislative process, according to the website of Congressman Mike Thompson, D.-Calif., who sponsored the bill honoring LeMond. Bills putting forth possible recipients must be co-sponsored by two-thirds of both House and Senate members before being put to a vote. LeMond is the tenth individual athlete to receive the medal. Other athlete recipients include Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, and Arnold Palmer, according to the website. Congress passed legislation awarding LeMond the medal in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the ceremony.

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