Michael Clement Lapage (15 November 1923 – 20 July 2018) was an English missionary and

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

who competed for

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

in the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

Biography

Lapage was born at

Shaftesbury Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about above sea level on a ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, the son of Reginald H. Lapage, vicar of Shaftesbury, and his wife Dora Ehlvers. He was educated at

Monkton Combe School (Thy Word is Truth) , established = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , founder = The Revd Francis Pocock , head_label = Head Master , head ...

where he was a contemporary of fellow Olympic rower

Alfred Mellows Alfred Paul Mellows Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom), DFC (8 June 1922 – 11 July 1997) was an English people, English Rowing (sport), rower who competed for Great Britain in the 1948 Summer Olympics. Mellows was born in Croydon, th ...

. He gained a position as a reader of geography at Selwyn College of the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

but did not manage to make the university's rowing team as

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

intervened. Lapage saw service as a

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

pilot in the Pacific during the war. Coming close to being shot down had a lasting impact on him. After the war Lapage was back at the University of Cambridge and was a member of the winning

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

's boat in the 1948 Boat Race. Most of that crew then won the silver medal

rowing at the 1948 Summer Olympics Rowing at the 1948 Summer Olympics featured seven events, for men only. Competitions were held over the Henley Royal Regatta course from 5 to 9 August. Medal summary Participating nations A total of 310 rowers from 27 nations competed at the ...

in the men's eight at the

1948 London Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

. The English athletes were still on rations at the time and Lapage believed that the winning Americans, who had ready access to meat, were at an advantage. At the

1950 British Empire Games The 1950 British Empire Games was the fourth staging of what is now called the Commonwealth Games. It was held in Auckland, New Zealand between 4 and 11 February 1950, after a 12-year gap from the third edition of the games. The main venue was ...

he won the bronze medal as part of the English boat in the men's eight competition. In the late 1950s, Lapage became a Christian missionary due to his upbringing and his near death experience during the war. He was ordained in Kenya in 1961. On 19 May 2012 he carried the Olympic torch in the relay for the 2012 Olympic Games, in St Austell, Cornwall. Lapage died on 20 July 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lapage, Michael 1923 births 2018 deaths English male rowers Cambridge University Boat Club rowers Olympic rowers for Great Britain Rowers at the 1948 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain Olympic medalists in rowing Rowers at the 1950 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England People educated at Monkton Combe School English Protestant missionaries Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games medallists in rowing Protestant missionaries in Kenya Fleet Air Arm personnel of World War II Fleet Air Arm aviators People from Shaftesbury Sportspeople from Dorset Medallists at the 1950 British Empire Games

Biography

See also

References