Home / Sports / Olympic Medals Break Under Joyful Celebrations
Olympic Medals Break Under Joyful Celebrations
13 Feb
Summary
- Athletes are breaking their Olympic medals due to faulty pins.
- Medal pins are not sturdy enough for celebratory jumping.
- Damaged medals are being replaced, but winners feel attached.
Joyful Olympic athletes are finding their hard-earned medals are not as durable as expected. Several winners have reported issues with the pins that attach the medal to its ribbon, with the components proving too weak for enthusiastic celebrations.
U.S. athlete Breezy Johnson shared in a viral video that she broke her medal's pin while jumping in excitement. Similarly, Alysa Liu, a gold medalist in the Team Figure Skating event, revealed her medal also broke off its ribbon.
Liu's malfunction resulted in the medal falling and sustaining damage. She noted that having the medal detached from the ribbon is not permitted, indicating a requirement for athletes to wear their medals publicly. Both Johnson and Liu will require replacements, raising concerns about the medal's design for the Milano Cortina games.
It appears the medal's attachment mechanism needs further stress testing, as celebratory jumping is a common athlete reaction. The 2026 Olympic Winter Games still have over a week remaining, and a fix for the remaining medals might be implemented to prevent similar issues.
