Police have made a public appeal for information about the theft of an Olympic gold medal in Christchurch.
The medal was won by rower, Leslie O’Connell, at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and was stolen during a burglary at O’Connell’s Strowan home on February 2.
Detective Nigel Thomson said on Wednesday morning a number of items were taken during the burglary, but the gold medal holds "immense personal and sentimental value to Mr O’Connell".
“The Olympic gold medal is a significant piece of New Zealand sporting history, and is irreplaceable for Mr O’Connell.
“We understand that Olympic medals are often difficult to sell and are frequently recognised once publicly reported.
“For that reason, police are urging anyone who has information on the medal’s whereabouts to please come forward.
“If you are in possession of the medal – we urge you to return this immediately and without damage,” Thomson says.
The medal can be returned anonymously through either of the below options:
- Dropped it off to any police station
- Get a trusted third party to arrange its delivery to police
Anyone with information about the burglary should contact the police on 105 and reference file number 260202/5563.
O'Connell said the medal was gold-coated but was largely made of silver.
He said a vehicle full of work tools was also stolen and the burglars rifled through his belongings.
However, he told Checkpoint that no loss was stinging harder than the medal.
"All those other items, that's what they are, they're just pure items that can be replaced, this can't."
"All of that pale's comparison to the gold medal."
O'Connell said the years of work he put in prior to getting the medal was part of what had made the loss hit even harder.
"It's something I'm not going to win again and it's a whole process. You know, I was a world champion for two years before the Olympics, so it was a whole build-up to winning a gold medal... it was hard fought."
Despite having championship medals displayed in his home, it was only the Olympic medal that had been hidden that was stolen.
"I had those in frame, I had this one hidden purely because I didn't want it hanging on the wall and I didn't want it stolen. So we hid it behind some books on a bookcase.
"I've been told that all the drawers have been opened and that sort of thing. So, yeah, they've had a good look around."
O'Connell said he doesn't believe the thieves knew what they had found initially and is now worried they might think the medal is worth more than it actually is.
"As time goes on, they'll probably look at them and think, well, you know, what do we do with this?
"What scares me the most is that they might go and do something stupid like try and melt it down or disfigure it or something like that, which really destroys the whole thing.
"I don't know what the monetary value is, it never had a value, but it's more of a collector's item."
O'Connell was holding out hope that the thieves would see some sense and return the medal back to its home.
"If they could put it somewhere and let someone know or phone into something and say, it's here. Even if they just hide it somewhere and later on they let someone know... even post it back somewhere.
"I just don't want it disfigured or thrown away and lost forever."
A forensic examination was carried out at the house and the investigation was ongoing.
-With RNZ
