A 2012 Olympic gold medal won by Bahamian 400-meter runner Demetrius Pinder was reported stolen Wednesday, Bradenton, Fla., police confirmed.
Pinder’s gold from the 4x400 relay was stolen from “the center console” inside his car in Bradenton, first reported by the Bradenton Herald.
“I always carry my medal around with me,” Pinder said in a phone interview Thursday afternoon. "(Tuesday) night, I left it inside of my truck. Woke up the next morning, and it was gone.”
Pinder said there was no sign of forced entry into a Dodge Ram that Pinder said he always locks.
“People have needles, new technology to get inside of cars without breaking in,” he said.
Pinder said he’s looking into requesting a replacement medal, but “it will never be the original.”
Pinder was emotional talking about what the medal meant to him, mentioning his sister who died of a heart attack shortly before the London Olympics.
“It was really me doing it for my sister,” he said of winning gold with the Bahamas, the first nation to beat the U.S. in the 4x400 Olympic final in 60 yaers. “Most of that medal is emotions, you know.”
The medal was valued at $42,000, according to the Bradenton Herald report.
“I’m heartbroken,” he said. “I’d do anything to get that medal back. The person doesn’t have to show their face.”