Laszlo Csongradi, a former Hungarian fencer, is experiencing profound distress after the theft of his Olympic gold medal, offering a unique solution in his despair. The 65-year-old athlete, who won the men’s team sabre gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, had his most prized possession stolen during a home burglary on September 10th. The incident occurred while Csongradi was sleeping, and the perpetrator escaped with only the medal, leaving other valuables untouched.
Csongradi’s anguish over the theft is evident in his plea to the thief. “For two weeks, I can’t calm down and be happy, because everything reminds me of my stolen Olympic gold medal,” he confessed to Hungary’s Sportal website. In a heartfelt gesture, he declared, “I would give everything to the culprit, but I want him to return the worthless object that means nothing to him. Drop it in the mailbox and if you want, I won’t leave it to a museum in my will, I’ll bequeath it to him.”
The medal was stored in a cupboard, and Csongradi believes the burglar was alerted to its presence when the former fencer left his room and shouted at him, interrupting the robbery. “He could have taken other important things, but for some reason (the medal) was all he was interested in,” he remarked. “The thief touched many things, many fingerprints were left behind, but there is nothing to identify them. I don’t know what to do to get the message across to him: I don’t want to hurt him… you can negotiate with me.”
Csongradi’s desperate plea underscores the profound emotional value of the stolen medal. He’s willing to go to extraordinary lengths to get it back, even offering it to the thief in his will, demonstrating the deep-seated emotional connection athletes have with their Olympic achievements.
