LA wildfires: Replica Olympic medals given to Gary Hall Jr after home destroyed in Palisades Fire
International Olympic chiefs have rallied round to give replica medals to Gary Hall Jr, the US swimming great and one-time scourge of the Australian team, who’s lost his home amid the Los Angeles wildfire disaster.
Hall, who won 10 Olympic medals in a glittering career and is still famed for his claim at the 2000 Games in Sydney that the Americans would smash the home swimmers “like guitars”, has proved one of sport’s high-profile victims of the fires.
The 50-year-old triple Olympian, a diabetic, revealed how he had to leave his medals at his gutted LA rented home in the Palisades fire, rushing instead to save his dog, Puddles, and grab his insulin.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“I thought I had more time,” Hall told CNN at the time.
“The medals were in a closet in my bedroom, 70 feet away, and I didn’t have time to go get them.
“From the time that I saw the first plume of smoke at the top of the hill … I had about three minutes between then and when it came charging towards me.
“It wasn’t easy to leave that behind. I worked a lifetime to achieve that and the memories remain but the souvenir is gone.”
Hearing of his plight, the IOC has acted quickly to ensure he gets replicas of the five gold, three silver and two bronze medals he earned across three Olympic appearances in 1996, 2000 and 2004.
IOC President Thomas Bach said on Sunday: “We stand in full solidarity with the citizens of Los Angeles and are full of admiration for the tireless work of the firefighters and law enforcement officers.
“At this time, all attention must be focused on fighting the fires and protecting people and property.
“We have also learned that a great Olympian, Gary Hall Jr, has lost his medals in the fire. The IOC will provide him with replicas.”
Hall had been renting in the Palisades area where he runs a business, Sea Monkeys Swimming, teaching children to swim.
Of the simultaneous blazes, which have ripped across America’s second-largest city since Tuesday and killed at least 16 people as of late Saturday, Hall said: “It was worse than any apocalypse movie you’ve ever seen and 1000 times worse.”
Hall’s sister launched a GoFundMe for the ex-Olympian after his home burnt down, which raised tens of thousands of dollars to help him back on his feet.
At the weekend, the swimmer shared a thankful post to social media, writing: “The support from the community is so appreciated.”
“Having love is more important than having things. All worldly possessions are gone. Home is gone. Business is gone,” Hall wrote.
“Thank you to all who have generously contributed to the GoFundMe campaign to help me get back on my feet.”
