A champion hammer thrower reportedly paid for a taxi home with his gold medal after getting drunk during a night out celebrating his World Athletics Championships triumph.
Poland's Pawel Fajdek woke up in Beijing the morning after his winning throw of 80.88 metres only to find he no longer had his precious gong.
Pawel Fajdek
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According to Chinese media outlet Tencent, Poland's, Pawel Fajdek woke up in Beijing the morning after his winning throw of 80.88 metres only to find he no longer had his precious gong.
The worried 26-year-old, who was the youngest defending gold medallist at the Championships this year, immediately contacted police to report the loss.
Officers reportedly set about helping him retrace his steps the night before and managed to trace the taxi driver who told them Fajdek had willingly handed his medal over in payment.
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Presumably after persuasion from police, the taxi driver returned the missing medal.
Polish journalists in Beijing to cover the championships reportedly confirmed that, having seen him at the restaurant, the athlete had "drunk a lot in the celebration party" to toast his success.
Source: Independent.
