Gary Hall Jr. – a 10-time Olympic medalist who won five gold medals for the US in his swimming career – fears he has lost everything in the Los Angeles wildfires.
This includes his Olympic medals, with the 50-year-old fleeing after seeing flames from the window of his home in the Pacific Palisades.
“It’s not just a house, it’s all worldly possessions,” Hall Jr. said. to 12news. ‘I’m really that guy who has nothing to lose.
“It grew quickly, then the flames came, and you could see the houses going up one by one as it came down the hill to where I was.
‘Hot embers rained down on me as I jumped into the car. It will be difficult to go back to the site, go through the ashes, try to find the things that may have survived the fire, but there are no expectations in that regard.”
A GoFundMe has been launched to Hall Jr. to help, hoping to raise $25,000 for him to pick up the pieces of his life. At the time of writing, $20,000 has been donated.
It is explained that he fled with his dog, Puddles, his insulin, a painting of his grandfather and a religious item given to him by his daughter.
“He was forced to leave behind everything else he owned, such as irreplaceable family heirlooms, photographs and more,” the page says.
“He most likely lost his 10 Olympic medals as well, but nothing can take away the spirit that won those medals.”
Hall Jr. is now with family in San Diego. His first Olympics were the 1996 Games in Atlanta, before competing in Sydney and Athens.
In 2006, he fought off a shark that attacked his sister while spearfishing in Florida.
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