(CNN) โ Former Hungarian fencer Lรกszlรณ Csongrรกdi has been left so distraught by the theft of his Olympic gold medal that he has offered to leave it to the thief in his will if it is returned.
Csongrรกdi, 65, won the Olympic gold in the menโs team sabre competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Yet his most precious possession was taken from him when his home was broken into late on September 10 as the former athlete was sleeping.
โFor two weeks, I canโt calm down and be happy because everything reminds me of my stolen Olympic gold medal,โ Csongrรกdi told Hungaryโs Sportal website.
โI 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 wonโt leave it to a museum in my will, Iโll bequeath it to him.โ
The medal was stored away in a cupboard, Csongrรกdi said, adding that the burglar only left the house when the former fencer left his room and shouted at him.
โHe could have taken other important things, but for some reason (the medal) was all he was interested in,โ he added.
โThe thief touched many things, many fingerprints were left behind, but there is nothing to identify them. I donโt know what to do to get the message across to him: I donโt want to hurt himโฆ you can negotiate with me.โ
The-CNN-Wire
โข & ยฉ 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.