Olympic athlete ‘can keep’ medal sold to help sick child
A POLISH Olympic athlete auctioned her silver medal from the Tokyo Games to raise money for a lifesaving operation for a boy, and then was told by the buyer she could keep her prize.
Maria Andrejczyk, a 25-year-old javelin thrower who overcame bone cancer and a shoulder injury to compete at the Olympics, said she decided to auction her medal to help the boy knowing how much she had to “fight adversity and pain”.
The money is for Milosz Malysa, an infant with a heart defect whose family has been raising funds for an operation in the United States. Zabka, a convenience store chain in Poland, bid 200,000 zlotys ($51,000 US) but said it would let the athlete keep her medal.
“We were moved by the beautiful and extremely noble gesture of our Olympian,” Zabka said.
Fans have contributed an additional 300,000 ($76,500 US) to help the boy.
Even before the winning bid was made, authorities in Andrejczyk’s community in Poland said they were prepared to make her a replica of the medal.