Six-year-old reunites Olympian with stolen gold medal

A six-year-old girl has been widely praised after reuniting an Olympian with his lost gold medal.

Chloe Smith from Atlanta was walking with her father, Wayne, when she noticed something shiny amongst some rubbish at the side of the road.

Although her mother Charlmonique Cunningham initially dismissed it as junk, her father instantly recognised it from the local news as the medal reported stolen by Olympian Joe Jacobi.

Jacobi, a former canoeist and kayaker, won gold at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The medal was stolen from his car last month.

The family got in touch with Jacobi through his website StolenGoldMedal.com and he confirmed that they had indeed found his medal.

Unfortunately, the gold disc is only one part of the entire medal - the base and ribbon are still missing.

The Olympian has since paid a visit to the family, posed for photos and even gave them a $500 reward.

Joe Jacobi with Chloe’s parents

Charlmonique says Chloe did take a bit of convincing to give the medal up (understandable) but after talking to Joe on the phone, she happily returned it.

"I’ve met the parents, and they’re wonderful. They’re great people," Jacobi told ABC News.

"When you talk about character and doing the right thing, that girl has so many of the values of the Olympic Games. I think that Chloe represents and embodies all the Olympic values.

"In my eyes, she is an Olympian in every sense of the word."

H/T: breakingnews.ie