An Olympic champion is thanking a 7-year-old Atlanta girl who found his gold medal in a pile of trash weeks after it got stolen.
Joe Jacobi won the medal in men’s canoe double slalom at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Jacobi says it was stolen when somebody broke into his car in June.
Weeks later, Chloe Smith was walking with her father when she spotted the gold medal discarded in a pile of garbage. Chloe returned the medal to Jacobi, who had posted about the theft on social media. The former Olympian then promised to visit Chloe’s school and let her classmates know about her good deed.
Jacobi spoke Monday to Chloe’s first-grade class at Woodson Park Academy. WSB-TV reports the Olympian brought his recovered gold medal with him.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
I guess the thief found out that Olympic gold medals aren’t really solid gold. The gold value is less than a thousand dollars at current gold prices.
the story is heart warming.
really? less then $1000? I thought it was worth alot more . Too bad he didnt offer to give her a few bucks for finding it and returning it
Maybe he still may but also, maybe he is not loaded with money like
some people!!!!
Joe Jacobi competed in a sport that wouldn’t bring him a big cash haul. So this returned medal is very valuable to him. Don’t keep your medal in your car ever again, Joe!!
Well, it’s not like sports equip. manufacturers or even Wheaties are lining up to pay big endorsement bux to canoeists.