As wildfires continue to rage across the Los Angeles area, Olympic champion swimmer Gary Hall Jr. is among the many residents who’ve suffered devastating losses.
‘It was worse than any apocalypse movie you’ve ever seen and 1000 times worse,’ Hall told the Sydney Morning Herald.
The home Hall was renting in Pacific Palisades, California, and using as the base for his business was consumed by the fire, destroying almost all his possessions − including his 10 Olympic medals.
‘It’s mayhem in Los Angeles. We were surrounded by flames. The embers were raining down on me as I jumped into my car,’ Hall said. ‘I had time to grab my dog and just a couple of personal items. It’s just every person for themselves.’
Hall said the fires came so quickly that he had to leave all his swimming memorabilia behind as he evacuated.
‘I did think about the medals. I did not have time to get them,’ Hall Jr 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?’
The pool at his home where he teaches swimming to kids was also destroyed.
Hall said nearby Sunset Boulevard was ‘a complete logjam’ and that people were abandoning their cars and running to safety. He was able to escape and is now staying with family in San Diego. A GoFundMe page has been set up to support him.
A spokesperson for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee said they were unaware of Hall’s situation and would be reaching out to him. The USOPC released information Wednesday regarding support it is providing its athlete community impacted by the fires. USA Swimming also said it is making Disaster Relief Grants available to team members affected by the wildfires, as it did for those who were hit by hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Hall won back-to-back gold medals in the men’s 50-meter freestyle at the 2000 (Sydney) and 2004 (Athens) Olympics. He also won three golds as a member of Team USA’s relay teams in 1996 (Atlanta). In addition, he won three silvers and two bronzes during his Olympic career.