LAUSANA, Switzerland – After all Olympic medals were destroyed In Los Angeles fires, Great Gary Hall Jr. de Swimming established an unexpected record that replaced them at the IOC headquarters on Monday.
Ten Olympic medals granted to an athlete the same day.
“I will do a better job when taking care of them,” said Hall Jr. receiving the new set of five golds, three silver and two bronzes obtained swimming for the United States in three summer games from 1996 to 2004.
The originals burned four months ago at home in the Pacific Palisades area of the city that Organize the next summer games in 2028.
Replace them presenting 10 at the same time was “a unique ceremony,” said the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach.
“I don’t think it has happened before and I hope you never have to happen again,” Bach told Hall Jr. “We also hope to give him a moment of relief and joy that will help him now in the additional process to overcome what had to happen to this tragedy.”
Hall Jr. spoke with the emotion about the support of the family, the former teammates and the old Olympic rivals such as the stars of Australia Ian Thorpe and Michael Klim.
“Having friends and family, I am a very lucky man,” he said. “The support they offered me from the sports community has driven me through the darkest nights.”
He brought Switzerland with him, a deformed gold medal later recovered from the house that fled with his dog, puddles, after grabbing his insulin medicine.
“He has some character,” said Hall Jr. about the burned gold at the Olympic ceremony. “The value of friends exceeds the value of objects. We live in a time of capitalism, consumerism and you realize when you lose everything, how little you really need.
“The character cannot be removed, you cannot burn and cannot be lost.”
Thorpe was one of the first people to contact Hall Jr. during the January fires.
“I don’t know how I knew it,” said Hall Jr. about Thorpe’s so -called surprise, who was part of the 4×100 meter Free Australian team that led to Gold ahead of the United States at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
“That’s what this family is about (Olympic): rivals and friends. I am very grateful to all of them. I cannot thank the Olympic movement enough for their support at this very difficult time.”
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Olympics in https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
