Australian Rower Asks for Help After His 4 Olympic Medals Are Stolen from His Car

Australian rower Drew Ginn was keeping his Olympic medals in a sock in the back of his car

Four Olympic medals belonging to Australian rower Drew Ginn have allegedly been stolen out of the athlete's car, according to multiple reports.

Authorities told CNN that the four medals — three gold and one silver — are still missing after being stolen out of Ginn's Land Rover sometime between Thursday, Sept. 6 and Friday, Sept. 7 in Docklands. While a suspect was arrested on Wednesday, Sept. 11, the medals were not recovered.

Ginn, 49, told ABC that the medals were being kept in a sock inside his vehicle when they were snatched. The Australian Olympian had intended to show the medals to students during an upcoming speaking commitment at a school.

According to CNN, additional items were stolen from Ginn's car during the ransacking — including a GoPro camera, headphones and a wetsuit.

The suspect, a 47-year-old from Windsor, was arrested Wednesday in a Melbourne suburb, per CNN.

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Speaking to ABC Radio Melbourne after the theft, Ginn said he "stupidly" left the medals in the car and speculated that the incident was a random ransacking, not the thief going after his medals. "It seemed like someone on the street had come past the car," he said on the radio show.

"I just never thought, honestly, anyone would ever take these things," Ginn told 9News, adding that he's very generous with the medals and letting people handle them.

"There's got to be 10,000 young kids that have held onto the '96 medal," he told the outlet.

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According to local news station 9news, the suspect (whose name has not been released) is due in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Nov. 29 on charges of stealing from a motor vehicle, obtaining property by deception, obtaining financial advantage by deception and handling stolen goods.

Detective Sergeant Timothy Reiher of the Melbourne Crime Investigation Unit told a local news station that the medals are "unbelievably rare items with significant sentimental value,” and asked that the public "look out for these medals in pawn shops and online selling platforms" as they continue the search for Ginn's hardware.

Ginn — who was part of the champion crew nicknamed the Oarsome Foursome — won his four medals in rowing in four consecutive Games, beginning in Atlanta in 1996 and concluding at the 2012 London Olympics.

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