In January, wildfires swept through the Los Angeles area, devastating homes and livelihoods across the region. Among those affected was Gary Hall Jr., whose rented home was destroyed, forcing him to evacuate with only a few cherished possessions: his dog, Puddles, his insulin, a painting of his grandfather, and a painting of the ‘Blessed Mary’ given to him by his daughter.
Everything else, including all 10 Olympic medals he clocked during a legendary career, as well as irreplaceable family heirlooms, was lost in the blaze.
Photo Credit: International Olympic Committee
On Monday, Hall was presented with replica Olympic medals during a private ceremony at Olympic House, the International Olympic Committee’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. IOC President Thomas Bach met with Hall and fulfilled the organization’s promise to replace the medals, made shortly after news of the fire became public.
Upon receiving replacement medals, Hall Jr. reflected on the moment in an IOC press release: “I’m emotional, it’s hard for me to put words together in this time. I would like to express my gratitude first and foremost.”
“I cannot thank the Olympic Movement enough for their support through this very difficult time. Their realizations through this process that outweigh the sense of loss and that is this word of solidarity and what it means: the value of friends outweighs the value of objects, and character cannot be taken away, it cannot be burned, it cannot be lost and what is inside of us, our spirit, our being, our soul – that is important. We live in a time of capitalism, consumerism and you realise when you lose everything how little of it you truly need,” said Gary Hall Jr.
He added, “I was 10 years old when LA hosted the 1984 Olympic Games, and I was old enough to see what the Olympic Games was, the scale of it, the importance, the significance of the world stage in the 1984 Olympic Games. This inspired me more than any genetic inheritance or family tradition that propelled me.”
IOC President Thomas Bach said: “We really appreciate your presence here. I cannot tell you how much we admire you, not only because of the medals, but because when we were reading your tragic story of losing your house, your possessions and all your worldly properties, this went straight to our heart. But even more so, when we learned how you overcame this tragedy in the style of a true Olympic champion, showing all the resilience, courage and confidence that you were known for as an athlete at the time, but you displayed under very different circumstances once more.”
The medals were not made of pure gold, silver, and bronze, but instead were alloys made of different medals. The compositions were very similar to those used today, meaning that the replacement cost of the metals in the medals would be about $850 for the gold, $500 for the silver, and $5 for the bronze.
Hall Jr. won 10 Olympic medals between 1996 and 2004, including back-to-back titles in the 50m freestyle in 2000 and 2004. He was also a key member of the United States relay teams, helping them secure three golds (1996: 4×100 free, 4×100 medley; 2000: 4×100 medley), one silver (2000: 4×100 free), and one bronze (2004: 4×100 free). Individually, he earned two silvers (1996: 50 and 100 free) and claimed one bronze (2000: 100 free).
Olympic Games
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1996 Atlanta | 4×100 m freestyle |
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1996 Atlanta | 4×100 m medley |
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2000 Sydney | 50 m freestyle |
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2000 Sydney | 4×100 m medley |
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2004 Athens | 50 m freestyle |
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1996 Atlanta | 50 m freestyle |
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1996 Atlanta | 100 m freestyle |
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2000 Sydney | 4×100 m freestyle |
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2000 Sydney | 100 m freestyle |
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2004 Athens | 4×100 m freestyle |
Hall Jr.’s father, Gary Hall Sr., won three Olympic medals across three Games. He earned silver in the 400 IM at the 1968 Mexico City Games, silver in the 200 butterfly at the 1972 Munich Games, and bronze in the 100 fly at the 1976 Montreal Games.
A GoFundMe was created to support him and help him recover from the loss of his home and his business. The fund has currently raised more than $94,000 of his $50,000 goal, which is an increase from the initial $10,000 goal.
Rare IOC win. Happy for Gary!