Olympics: Jordyn Poulter's stolen gold medal found in trash

Enlarge image

Jordyn Poulter at her greatest sporting success in Tokyo 2021

Photo:

Frank Augstein/AP

Jordyn Poulter is the setter on one of the best volleyball teams in the world.

She is currently playing with the USA national team in Calgary, Canada, in the Nations League, Poulter rushes from victory to victory.

After beating Belgium 3-0, 24-year-old Poulter got some more good news: her gold medal from last year's Tokyo Olympics is back.

The AP news agency reported Wednesday that owners of a hair salon in Anaheim, California, found the valuable piece in a small pouch in a plastic bag near their shop.

The bag was in the garbage in a parking lot.

The gold medal was stolen from Poulter's car in Anaheim at the end of May.

She parked her car in a parking garage.

When they returned, the vehicle had been broken into and the medal gone.

Poulter wanted to show her friends and family, as she said at a press conference shortly after the theft.

The police quickly arrested a suspect, but the Olympic gold initially disappeared - until it was found in front of the barber shop.

As reported by the Los Angeles Daily News, the finders did not initially know whether the medal was a real one or a fake.

However, a customer at her barber shop was aware of Poulter's loss, so the finders contacted the police, who want to pass the medal on to Poulter.

The USA will still play against Serbia, Turkey and the German team in the coming days.

With eight wins, Poulter's side top the table with the quarter-finals starting on July 13.

It is currently not certain when Poulter will return to Anaheim, where the American volleyball teams train at a base.

kra/dpa