British athletes are looking for some help after two medals were stolen from a London night club early Wednesday morning while the team was out celebrating after a reception with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
Men’s eight rower Alex Partridge left his bronze in the special pocket of his Olympic blazer designed to carry his medal and went to dance. When he returned he quickly realized the jacket was gone, but figured a teammate must have grabbed it by mistake.
Security footage instead showed an unknown man lifting the blazer and leaving the scene. Partridge’s jacket was returned to a northwest London police station Thursday morning, sans medal.
Field hockey star Hannah Macleod’s luck hasn’t been any better after her London bronze was also stolen.
Macleod posted a photo from the Mahiki club’s security footage on Twitter, asking “Does anyone know this man?” The good citizens of England have retweeted it more than 17,000 times and offered their support in response to the theft.
“I’m absolutely gutted that my Olympic bronze medal has been stolen,” Macleod said in a statement. “Winning it in August was an incredible highlight for me, and for this to have happened is simply shattering.”
Macleod wanted to make sure she didn’t officially accuse the person in the photo, but (fingers crossed) the police may already have their man: a 29-year-old was arrested in London Thursday and is being questioned regarding the incident.