"All my medals burned!" Olympic swimming champion Gary Hall narrowly escapes California wildfire
Yasmine Green
Dailysports's expert
Translated by the editors
Five-time Olympic swimming champion Gary Hall barely escaped a devastating California wildfire that engulfed his home. The former athlete shared his harrowing experience during an appearance on TMZ Live.
Hall revealed that the fire spread so quickly, he had only minutes to evacuate. He managed to save his dog, a painting by his grandfather, and some insulin, but tragically, all of his Olympic medals were lost in the blaze.
The former swimmer admitted that losing the medals broke his heart, as he had hoped to pass them down to his children. However, he expressed gratitude for being alive despite the loss.
Gary Hall won five Olympic gold medals across three different Games—Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, and Athens 2004. In addition to his golds, he also earned three silver and two bronze medals.
Hall is also a three-time world champion, with three additional silver medals from World Championships. For his remarkable career, he was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
