US Olympic hero Gary Hall Jr. says he lost everything, including his 10 medals, in California fires
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Former U.S. Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr. detailed the “apocalyptic” devastation and his personal losses in the disastrous wildfires that continue to ravage Los Angeles.
The 50-year-old athlete told the Sydney Morning Herald that the devouring fires destroyed his rented home in the Pacific Palisades, his 10 Olympic medals, the swimming pool where he gave swim lessons to his children, and the majority of his belongings, with the exception of a few personal items he quickly packed before evacuating.
“It was worse than any apocalypse movie you’ve ever seen, and 1,000 times worse,” he told the outlet in an article published Thursday, two days after the fires erupted.
“It’s mayhem in Los Angeles. We were surrounded by flames. The embers were raining down on me as I jumped into my car,” he recounted.
“I had time to grab my dog and just a couple of personal items. It’s every person for themselves. It’s tough. It’s a big loss … and everything I own.”
Because of the speed at which the fire engulfed his neighborhood, he wasn’t able to salvage his five gold, three silver, and two bronze medals he won in three Olympic games. He also lost his two world championship medals.
I did think about the medals. I did not have time to get them,” Hall said. “Everyone wants to know, ‘Did the medals burn?’ Yeah, everything burnt. It’s something I can live without. I guess everything is just stuff. It’ll take some hard work to start over. What can you do?
“It’ll be a range of emotions, particularly when it’s time to go back to where the house stood. I’ll shift through the ash and see if the medals melted together. Will I be able to find anything worth saving? Probably not. I don’t know. There is no time to take photos or videos when running for your life,” he said.
The only items he was able to grab were his insulin, “a religious wooden piece” from his daughter Gigi, and “a painting of his grandfather,” according to the GoFundMe page that has been set up for him. The page had already garnered 215 donations by Thursday, totaling $38,168.
The storied swimmer recalled being on the phone with his daughter the moment he saw a “plume of smoke” emerge in his backyard. After that, Hall saw flames “erupt” and heard “houses start popping.”
“People abandoned cars and were running for their lives. Police were telling them to do that,” he recounted. “My girlfriend was trapped in her car around smoke.”
Hall drove Wednesday to stay with his family in San Diego. The athlete’s family is “supporting” him as much as they can, and any money raised will go directly to clothing and necessities, as well as rebuilding his business, Sea Monkeys Swimming, according to the GoFundMe page.
“It’s not just about me. My home and my business burnt to the ground,” Hall noted. “Time to start a new chapter. I’m fortunate that in chaos I’m able to maintain calm. We were told to run for our lives.”
Hall is the son of Garry Hall Sr., a retired competitive swimmer and three-time Olympic medalist who broke five world records throughout his career.
Adam Brody, Anna Farris, Paris Hilton, and Billy Crystal are among the other celebrities whose homes went up in flames.
