US Women’s Soccer star Lynn Williams has revealed that she accidentally broke her gold medal while celebrating her team’s victory at the Paris Olympics.
Williams, 31, took to social media to share a video explaining how she broke the medal, which was meant to be attached to a ribbon. She had previously posted pictures of the medal without the ribbon, sparking curiosity about its whereabouts.
In the video, Williams explained that she got “carried away with the celebratory actions” after the USA women’s soccer team defeated Brazil in the final. She said she was swinging her medal around, which didn’t help, but that wasn’t the cause of the damage.
Instead, Williams said she was dancing with her teammates, holding her medal like a small purse, when it fell to the ground, causing the bar that attaches the medal to the ribbon to break.
Lynn Williams showed how the bar meant to attach her medal to the ribbon had broken
Williams acknowledged swinging her medal around as she celebrated but said that wasn’t the cause of the damage
She was seen with her medal fully intact immediately after the USA beat Brazil in the final
Williams said she’s been in contact with the IOC and may be able to get her medal fixed, but she couldn’t help but take a shot at the quality of the medals. “I just think they should have made these better,” she said. “They should have made them more sturdy. And I honestly can’t be faulted for that.”
Williams is not the only Olympian to complain about the quality of the medals. Team USA rugby player Ilona Maher revealed that her bronze medal was “wearing a little bit” during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
USA rugby sensation Ilona Maher revealed her Olympic bronze medal is starting to wear
Skater Nyjah Huston also showed the state of his bronze medal days after placing third in the men’s street final. “Alright, so these Olympic medals look great when they’re brand new,” he said on Instagram. “But after letting it sit on my skin with some sweat for a little bit and letting my friends wear it over the weekend, they’re apparently not as high quality as you’d think. It’s looking rough.”
Team USA fencer Nick Itkin also revealed the state of his bronze medal two weeks after winning it in Paris.
These complaints have sparked concerns about the quality of the Olympic medals, with many calling for the IOC to improve their design and materials.