Detroit Olympian's bronze medal tarnishing after summer games
DETROIT (FOX 2) - It is an award many athletes dream of earning, but for some who win it, they unfortunately encounter an issue that may stain their trophy of accomplishment.
A local Olympian compared her bronze medal for U.S. women's rugby to an old penny. She’s not alone; it’s happening to hundreds of other winners too.
The backstory:
Alena Olsen won her medal in the summer of 2024 for rugby. The medal, then, was brand new and shining. It was the first medal for the U.S. rugby team, ever.
Unfortunately, now, the shiny new medal has lost its luster, and fast.
"It’s happening all around the edges so it’s hard to read the inscription on the bottom," she said. "It’s definitely a different color; it doesn’t quite shine like it used to. It was very obvious from the first day that this was starting to happen. People were already talking about it in the village."
France touted the designers of the medals—under the parent company LVMH. The acronym stands for Louis Vuitton, Moet—like the champagne—and Hennessy, like the brown liquor.
But the luxury line seemed to have flubbed this one.
"The only thing that I was thinking was like, oh, should I not let people touch it? Should I try to preserve it? Should I get a second one, like a backup one? I think I heard some people were able to apply for a second one," she said.
What's next:
Alena’s medal might not shine like it once did, but there is no tarnishing their well-earned win.
After some pretty serious criticism, Monnaie de Paris promised to replace the bronze medals at the athletes' request.
They’re already ready to replace 100 and counting.
The Source: FOX 2 talked with Olympic athlete Alena Olsen.