Olympic figure skater isn't allowed to keep gold medal because it broke

Olympians from around the world are battling it out at the Milano-Cortina Games, all hoping to take home a highly sought-after gold, silver or bronze medal for their countries.

However, some victors were left with quite the shock after receiving their medals - only for them to break almost as soon as they got them.

The likes of Breezy Johnson, a women’s downhill ski gold medalist, revealed her medal broke following her win on Sunday (8 February).

"Do not jump in them. I was jumping in excitement and it broke," she told reporters in a post-ceremony interview. "So there’s the medal, there’s the ribbon, and here’s the little piece that is supposed to go into the ribbon to hold the medal. Yeah, it came apart."

She added: "I’m sure someone will fix it. It’s not crazy broken, but it’s a little broken."

Additionally, biathlete Justus Strelow realised that the bronze medal he won in the mixed relay on Sunday had fallen off the ribbon around his neck, seen in a DSV Biathlon Instagram video.

And this problem seemed to be a recurring issue as US figure skater Alysa Liu shared a clip on social media of her team event gold medal, likewise detached from its ribbon.

Speaking to Overtime, Liu explained: "I was just jumping up and down, as one does to celebrate, and it just dropped. It just literally fell off of the ribbon. It got very scratched up… pretty dented."

However, the 20-year-old athlete was left pretty confused after finding out she wasn't allowed to keep her gold medal because it broke

"I actually liked it when it was off the ribbon, but that’s not allowed," she said.

"I had to give it in. I was like, 'Can’t you just fix this one?' I’m attached. But it’s OK, I’m detached. Just like it was."

Following the broken medal ordeal, organisers of the games are now investigating the shocking reports with 'maximum attention'.

Andrea Francisi, the Chief Games Operations Officer for the Milano-Cortina 2026 organising committee, said during a press briefing on Monday (9 February) that officials are 'fully aware of the situation' and are now looking into what exactly is going wrong with the medals.

"We’re going to pay particular attention to the medals, and obviously this is something that [we want] everything [to] be perfect when the medal is handed over, because this is probably one of the most important moments for the athletes," he said.

He then assured reporters: "So we’re working on it."