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Olympics bosses investigate after athlete's gold medal 'immediately' breaks
At this year's Winter Olympics, a number of athletes have had a less-than-perfect experience with their newly-earned medals. While some are still basking in the excitement of their accomplishments, others have encountered an unexpected problem — their medals are breaking.
One of the most notable instances involved American downhill skier Breezy Johnson, who celebrated her gold medal win on February 8th with so much enthusiasm that her medal quickly fell apart. Johnson’s medal, which was supposed to be attached to a ribbon, detached during her celebration, leading to an investigation by the Winter Olympic Games officials.
Breezy Johnson’s medal mishap at the Winter Olympics
After winning her first-ever Olympic gold medal, Johnson was visibly excited, jumping up and down to express her joy. However, the celebration was cut short when the heavy medal detached from the ribbon.
In a press conference, she explained the situation, holding up the parts of her medal: “So there’s the medal and there’s the ribbon, and here’s the little piece that is supposed to go in the ribbon, to hold it in the medal. And yeah, it came apart. I'm sure somebody will fix it. It's not crazy broken, but it’s a little broken.”
Team USA took the situation lightheartedly, joking that Johnson’s medal “did not pass the jump test.”
Other athletes face similar issues with broken medals
Johnson wasn't the only athlete to have a broken medal. German biathlete Justus Strelow also experienced a similar mishap with his bronze medal. While dancing with his teammates, Strelow’s medal fell off its ribbon, and the team playfully asked, “Are they not meant to be celebrated?” as Strelow worked to put it back together.
US figure skater Alysa Liu shared a similar experience after her team won the event gold medal. She posted a photo on Instagram, holding up her medal and ribbon separately with the caption, “My medal don’t need the ribbon.”
Winter Olympics officials address the issue
Andrea Francisi, the chief games operations officer for the Milan Cortina organizing committee, commented on the situation, acknowledging the spread of these broken medal incidents.
"We are aware of the situation; we have seen the images. Obviously, we are trying to understand in detail if there is a problem," he said, per NBC New York. Francisi assured the public that the issue is being taken seriously and that efforts are underway to ensure the medals meet the expectations of the athletes.
As the investigation continues, Winter Olympic officials remain committed to ensuring that athletes receive flawless medals to commemorate their achievements.