Gary Hall Jr. relinquishes his Olympic gold medals due to California wildfires: "Something I can do without"

Gary Hall Jr., an Olympic gold medalist, was among the thousands of California residents displaced by the wildfires in the Los Angeles area this week and lost all of his priceless possessions, including all 10 of his Olympic medals.

Hall is grateful to have escaped with his life.

During an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Hall recounted the instant he noticed a "column of smoke" emanating from his backyard. At the time, he was conversing with his daughter when the calamity occurred.

"I witnessed the flames explode and houses collapse. There were numerous explosions. I didn't have much time," he stated in the interview. "Sunset Boulevard became gridlocked. People abandoned their cars and ran for their lives. Police instructed them to do so. My girlfriend was trapped in her car amidst the smoke."

Quickly, the wildfires spread, leaving Hall with only enough time to grab his dog and a few personal items.

The Pacific Palisades rental home of the athlete was destroyed, taking with it his Olympic medals, including five golds, three silvers, and two bronzes. At the time, he considered them but the gravity of the situation prevented him from retrieving them.

"Hall stated that he considered the medals but did not have the time to obtain them. He added that everyone is curious about whether the medals were burned, to which he replied, "Yes, everything burned. It's something I can live without. I believe everything is just material. It will take effort to rebuild. What can be done?""

Hall's home, where he ran a business teaching kids to swim, is now completely gone, and he described the scene as "worse than any apocalypse movie you’ve ever seen and 1000 times worse."

"The return to the site of the house will bring a range of emotions. I'll sift through the ash to see if the medals have melted together. Will I be able to find anything worth saving? Probably not. I'm uncertain."

This week, fierce wildfires caused by strong Santa Ana winds ravaged Southern California, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents. At least five people have lost their lives as the fires continue to burn over 27,000 acres on Thursday.

Subscribe to the Planet Chronicle Sports Huddle newsletter and follow Planet Chronicle Digital's sports coverage on X.