Former Team USA swimmer Gary Hall Jr., who earned 10 olympic medals During his career, he will receive replicas of those medals after he lost them in the deadly California wildfires, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Sunday.
The IOC issued a statement over the weekend in response to multiple Wildfires burn in Southern California which have claimed at least 24 lives and destroyed more than 12,000 structures.
A general view of burned residential areas as wildfires continue to rage, reaching their fifth day and leaving extensive damage in residential areas of Los Angeles on January 12, 2025. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“We stand in total solidarity with the citizens of Los Angeles and are full of admiration for the tireless work of firefighters and law enforcement,” the statement read. “Currently we must fully focus on fighting fires and protecting people and property.”
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The IOC He also confirmed that Hall, a five-time Olympic gold medalist, would receive replicas of his medals, which he lost in the Pacific Palisades fire.
“We also learned that a great Olympic athlete, Gary Hall Jr., lost his medals in the fire. The IOC will provide him with replicas.”
Gary Hall Jr. of the United States listens to the national anthem after receiving the gold medal in the men’s 50 meter freestyle swimming event on August 20, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics at the main pool of the Olympic Aquatic Sports Complex. Center in Athens, Greece. (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald Last week, Hall recalled seeing the fires in his neighborhood for the first time.
AMERICAN SWIMMER GARY HALL JR LOSES OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALS IN CALIFORNIA FIRES: ‘SOMETHING I CAN LIVE WITHOUT’
“I saw flames burst and houses started exploding. There were explosions. I didn’t have much time,” he said. “Sunset Boulevard was a complete traffic jam. People were abandoning their cars and running for their lives. The police were telling them to do that. My girlfriend was trapped in her car surrounded by smoke.”
Hall said he only had enough time to grab the essentials and left his medals behind.
“I thought about the medals. I didn’t have time to get them,” he told the outlet. “Everyone wants to know if the medals were burned. Yes, everything was burned. It’s something I can live without. I guess it’s all stuff. It’s going to take a lot of work to start over. What can you do?”
Gary Hall Jr. of the United States displays his gold medal in the men’s 50 meter freestyle swimming event on August 20, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics in the main pool of the Olympic Sports Complex Aquatics Center in Athens, Greece. . (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Hall, 50, won four medals, including two gold, in his first Summer Games at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Four years later, she took home four more medals and at her last Games, the 2004 Athens Olympics, two more.
In 2012, Hall was inducted into the US Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame.
