Gaétan Boucher was already a silver medallist and two-time Olympian when the 25-year-old marketing student from St. Robert, Quebec entered three events at the Sarajevo 1984 Olympic Winter Games.

Off the ice, he was recognized as a reserved and articulate gentleman. But on the ice, his competitors knew him to be the picture of strength and determination.

Boucher's focus paid off early in Sarajevo. He earned a bronze medal in the 500m and went on to beat Sergei Khlebnikov of the Soviet Union by 0.83 of a second in the 1,000m event to capture his first Olympic gold medal.

Two days later, Boucher was to compete in his third and final event of the Games, the 1,500m skate.

Speed skating events were held outdoors in Sarajevo, and as Boucher collected himself at the start line, it was snowing lightly. Khlebnikov-the Soviet skater Boucher had edged in the 1,000m-had already raced, and his leading time was posted on the scoreboard above the track.

Boucher was tense at the start-line. There was no feeling in his feet, he had tied his skates so tight. Then the gun went off, and for just under two minutes, Boucher pushed his already-taxed muscles until they burned.

As he crossed the finish line, Boucher didn't know, at first, whether his effort had been enough to beat the Soviet. The fans were silent as they waited for Boucher's time to light up the scoreboard.

Finally, a broad grin spread across the Canadian's face and he thrust his arms up in victory.

In one minute and 58.36 seconds, almost a full half-second faster than Khlebnikov, Boucher had stepped into Canadian history. He had won three of Canada's four total medals at the 1984 Olympic Games.