AP
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After his Olympic medals were destroyed in a Los Angeles fire, Great Gary Hall Jr. set an unexpected record to replace them at the IOC headquarters on Monday.
Ten Olympic medals were awarded to one athlete on the same day.
“I’ll do a better job of caring for these,” Hall Jr. received a new set of five gold, three silver and two bronzes, who won swim for the US in three summer matches from 1996 to 2004.
The original burned four months ago at his home in the Pacific Palisades area of the city, where next summer games will be held in 2028.
“I thought I had more time”: Former Olympian was forced to leave the gold medal to burn on wildfire
Thomas Bach, chairman of the International Olympic Committee, said replacing them by presenting “unique ceremonies” was a “unique ceremonies.”
“I don’t think it’s ever happened, so I hope it doesn’t have to happen again,” Bach told Hall Jr.
Hall Jr. spoke about his feelings about being supported by his family, former teammates and older Olympic rivals like Australian stars Ian Thorpe and Michael Clim.
“I’m a very lucky guy with friends and family,” he said. “The support I have provided by the athletic community has supported me throughout the darkest nights.”
He grabbed an insulin drug and then took a gold medal to Switzerland, transformed after recovering from the house where he escaped with his dog.
“There’s a character,” Hall Jr. said of the gold burning at the Olympics ceremony. “The value of a friend outweighs the value of an object. We live in an age of capitalism, consumerism and we understand what you really need when you lose everything.
“You can’t take away the characters. You can’t burn them, you can’t lose them.”
Thorpe was one of the first people to contact Hall Jr. during the January fire.
“I don’t know how he knew,” Hall Jr. said of a surprise call from Thorpe, who was part of Australia’s 4x100m freestyle team that won gold ahead of the United States at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
“That’s what this (Olympic) family is about. It’s rivals and friends. I’m very grateful to all of them. I can’t thank them enough for the Olympic movement to support them through these extremely difficult times.”
