Titles and championships are more prized assets to any athlete in the world of sport. They are the highest mark of any player’s career highlighting their dedication, long hours of practice, capabilities, and skills. It’s hard to imagine their conditions when they are taken away from them. One such tragic incident happened with 1988 Olympic Champion Laszlo Csongradi when his gold medal was stolen from his house. Paris to Name Sports Venue After Late Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei Who Died After Being Set on Fire by Boyfriend.

Csongradi won the Olympic gold in the men's team sabre competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. But the 65-year-old Former Hungarian fencer Laszlo Csongradi was left helpless after his hard-earned medal was stolen on September 10 from his house while Csongradi was asleep. The medal was stored away in a cupboard, Csongradi mentioned, and added that the burglar left the house only when the former fencer left his room and shouted at him.

Even though there were multiple traces and figure prints recovered from the ‘crime scene’, authorities were unable to track the thief. Reflecting on the same to Hungary's Sportal website, Laszlo Csongradi said "For two weeks, I can't calm down and be happy, because everything reminds me of my stolen Olympic gold medal."

Olympic Gold Medalist Laszlo Csongradi’s Plea to Thief

As mentioned earlier after seeing no major development, the Hungarian champion fencer had no choice but to plea to the thief to return his medal. He even offered to leave it to the thief in his will provided the medal is returned to him. Will Cricket Replace Breaking at LA Olympics 2028? Here's A Look at Sports Included in Next Edition of Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

In the heartfelt plea, Laszlo Csongradi said, "I would give everything to the culprit, but I want him to return the worthless object that means nothing to him. Drop it in the mailbox and if you want, I won't leave it to a museum in my will, I'll bequeath it to him. He could have taken other important things, but for some reason [the medal] was all he was interested in. I don't know what to do to get the message across to him: I don't want to hurt him. ... You can negotiate with me."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 25, 2024 05:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).