Most of the athletes who competed in Tokyo Olympics the previous days they had one and only goal in mind: to return home with the gold medal in their luggage. For some, however, past Olympians there are more important things than winning and keeping their medal. As in the cases that follow below, with Olympians ending up selling their medal.
Mark Wells, USA, 1980
One wonders why an Olympian might go so far as to sell his gold medal, and in fact a gold medal with as much emotional value as the one won by Mark Wells, a member of the Miracle on Ice team, in 1980 at hockey game. He himself, unfortunately, had to sell it to pay for his treatment for a rare genetic disease that damaged his spinal cord. More specifically, he sold the medal to a private collector, who in turn sold it through an auction for $ 310,700 in 2010.
Mark Pavelic, USA, 1980
Wells was not the only member of this historic hockey team to sell his medal. Mark Pavelic also sold his gold medal for $ 262,900 in a auction in 2014. He did it for his daughter, saying: “I want him to take a step forward in life. That’s probably the biggest reason, “says mentalfloss.com.
Vladimir Klitschko, Ukraine, 1996
The Atlanta Olympics marked the first year that Ukraine went to the Olympics as an independent country, so the gold medal won by Vladimir Klitschko was quite special. However, for Klitschko, helping Ukrainian children play sports was even more important. He auctioned off his prize in 2012, earning $ 1 million for the Klitschko Brothers Foundation, which helps fund sports camps and facilities for children. The bidder? A mysterious benefactor who immediately returned the medal to the man at the Olympian.
Anthony Erwin, USA, 2000
Anthony Ervin won gold in the 50m freestyle at his Games Sydney 2000. Despite his success, however, he retired from the sport in 2003 at the age of 22. He put his gold medal on eBay in 2004, donating the $ 17,101 he won to the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami.
Otylia Jedrzejczak, Poland, 2004
Before even qualifying for Olympic Games of Athens in 2004, Jedrzejczak stated that any gold medals she won would be donated to charity. When she was at the top of the podium shortly afterwards for her performance on the 200-meter butterfly, she kept their word. Most of the $ 80,000 she earned from selling her medal was donated to a Polish charity that helps children with leukemia. “I do not need the medal to remember it,” he said. “I know I am an Olympian. That’s in my heart. “
Piotr Malachowski, Poland, 2016
In 2016, Polish discus thrower Piotr Malachowski announced on Facebook that he was selling his silver medal from the Rio Summer Olympics to raise money for Olek, a child suffering from a rare form of eye cancer. The money would help pay for Olek’s expensive surgery. “I fought for gold in Rio. “Today I appeal to everyone”, the Olympian wrote in his post. With this move, Malachowski aimed to raise about $ 84,000. Two Polish billionaires eventually bought the medal to cover the cost of Olek’s surgery.
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