Hall won five golds, three silvers, and two bronzes across the 1996, 2000, and 2004 Games
Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr. has received replica medals from the International Olympic Committee after losing all 10 of his Olympic medals in a January wildfire that destroyed his rented home in Pacific Palisades.
Hall, who won five golds, three silvers, and two bronzes across the 1996, 2000, and 2004 Games, was honored Monday in a private ceremony at the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, where IOC President Thomas Bach presented him with the replacements.
According to the *Los Angeles Times*, Hall said he became “emotional” during the presentation. “When tough times happen, you find out who your friends are,” he told the paper. “To see this response from the highest level of sport… makes you feel supported, which is so needed at this time.”
The IOC announced it would replace the medals after learning of Hall’s loss. “You overcame this tragedy in the style of a true Olympic champion,” Bach said during the ceremony, according to an IOC news release. Hall displayed two of his original medals, fused together by the heat of the blaze.
Hall stored the medals in a fireproof safe, but it failed during the Jan. 7 fire, he told the *Times*. He later found the safe in the rubble but was disheartened by its contents. In addition to his medals, the fire also destroyed his swim school business, Sea Monkeys Swimming, which operated out of his home.
Hall is currently planning to relaunch the business, potentially in Florida or San Diego County, and is working to develop a swimming-focused sports betting platform to fund its revival.
Hall also signed the Olympian Wall at Olympic House during the ceremony.
