Australia’s legendary rower Drew Ginn lost all his four Olympic medals, including three gold medals, in a car theft in his hometown Melbourne, last week. Ginn, who was a part of Australia’s popular ‘Oarsome Foursome’ rowing team, was reportedly involved in a school program when this shocking incident took place. A total of four Olympic medals including 3 gold and 1 silver were stolen from the back of his Land Rover.
Notably, Ginn is one of Australia’s most decorated Olympians who won four medals from 1996 to the 2012 editions of the quadrennial tournament. Ginn won his maiden Olympic gold medal in the Coxless four event at the 1996 Atlanta games and won another gold at the 2004 Athens edition. According to reports by CNN, the Victoria police arrested a 47-year-old man for allegedly stealing the medals.
It’s not just you are representing your country but every single person: Drew Ginn
Ginn said that he had hidden the medals in a secure spot in his car after he had shown them at a school event a week earlier. He said, “It must have been about five minutes, it dawned on me that I’d have been at a school event maybe 10 days before … and then all of a sudden, I was like, ‘Oh no’.” He rower also revealed that a wetsuit, a Go Pro camera and even his headphones were also allegedly stolen but it was hard to put value on the medals.
“It’s a hunk of metal – they’re gold plated. But for me, it’s just a horrible feeling to sort of think and imagine that the medals won’t potentially be in my family.” Speaking about representing his country at the biggest sporting platform, Ginn said, “I like the idea that these medals are medals for Australia. It’s not just you as an athlete representing your country – you’re representing every single person.”