Ten-time Olympic medallist loses his home and all of his medals in devastating LA wildfires
A ten-time Olympic medallist has tragically lost all of his medals after his home was destroyed in the Los Angeles wildfires.
Olympic champion swimmer Gary Hall Jr is just one of the many LA residents impacted by the devastating wildfires raging across the area.
The American won 10 Olympics medals across the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics, including five golds.
But now, he has lost them all after the fires destroyed his LA home this week.
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Hall Jr and his family were thankfully able to escape his home safely, but he described the fires as something out of a horror film.
“It was worse than any apocalypse movie you’ve ever seen and 1,000 times worse,” Hall Jr. told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“It’s mayhem in Los Angeles. We were surrounded by flames. The embers were raining down on me as I jumped into my car. I had time to grab my dog and just a couple of personal items.
"It’s just every person for themselves. It’s tough. It’s a big loss … and everything I own.
“I did think about the medals. I did not have time to get them.
“Everyone wants to know did the medals burn? Yeah, everything burnt. It’s something I can live without. I guess everything is just stuff. It’ll take some hard work to start over. What can you do?
“People abandoned cars and were running for their lives. Police were telling them to do that.
“My girlfriend was trapped in her car around smoke.”
His father, three-time Olympic medalist Gary Hall Sr., also spoke about the devastating loss in a Facebook post, writing: “Life can throw some pretty tough punches, and yesterday, Gary Jr received one.
"Today, he has to start life over with nothing. Even his livelihood of teaching young children to swim in his backyard was taken away. He will bounce back.
"Hopefully, he will retain the same spirit that enabled him to win those ten Olympic medals. Please keep him in your prayers, along with all of the other families devastated by these California fires.”
Hall Jr. has since relocated to be with his family in San Diego and a GoFundMe page has been set up to support him, which has so far raised $20,224 (£16,450).
Ben McCrum