Olympic Gold Auctioned for Charity

Swimming World and Junior Swimmer, Feb 2005

How do you spell, "Class"? Easy. It's J-E-D-R-Z-E-J-C-Z-A-K. As in Otylia Jedrzejczak.

In what is certainly one of the classiest acts ever by an athlete, Otylia, who became Poland's first-ever Olympic gold medalist in swimming when she won the 200 meter butterfly in Athens last August, auctioned her Olympic gold medal for 257,550 zlotys (U.S. $101,500) in December. She donated the money to a Polish children's hospital for treating young victims of leukemia.

In addition to winning the 200 meter fly, Jedrzejczak also won silver medals in the 100 meter fly and 400 meter freestyle, becoming an instant national hero. With her unprecedented selfless act-believed to be the first time an Olympic champion has ever auctioned a gold medal he or she has won to benefit a charity-she is now an international hero.

Swimming World Magazine readers can e-mail Otylia by writing to philw@swiminfowire.com.