De Pellegrin’s stolen Paralympic gold medal safely returned

When all hope of finding it seemed lost, good news arrived. Oscar De Pellegrin’s London 2012 Paralympic gold medal, which had been stolen during the night on 6 December 2016 from his house, was found on a market stall in Tirana, Albania by a collector. The authorities were warned and on 2 June 2017, Italian National Day, De Pellegrin got his medal back.

“When they called me, my thoughts went straight back to 3 September 2012, when [FITArco] president Mario Scarzella put it around my neck after I had won the Games final,” said De Pellegrin. “As a sportsman I know what the weight of such a medal is.”

When the good news arrived, Oscar was at the Giro d'Italia cycling race.

“I have always tried to find something positive even in the worst situations, and I have to say that even though it had been a long time, hope to regain the medal had never failed. In the end, we won, just like in the shoot-off that won the gold [final in London],” he said.

The medal was official (re)presented to the 54-year-old during the Festa della Repubblica Italiana celebrations in his home city of Belluno. Thousands of people gathered on Piazza Duomo as Gabriel, the eight-year-old mascot of the Social Sports Disability Association, handed it back.

“It was very special to receive it in my city with so many people present. It was a beautiful celebration.”

After the sad theft of such a priceless possession, while he, his wife and son slept upstairs in the house, and months of searching and appeals on social media, it was Albanian collector Dr Artan Lame who found the silverware. He purchased the medal to investigate its history and, after its authenticity was verified by INTERPOL, returned it to its rightful owner.

“I have to thank the police and all those involved in the investigation, and of course my thought goes to Dr Lame, the person who found it,” said De Pellegrin.

“I'm happy that I will be able to start taking the medal back to the schools and displaying it at official occasions. I have shown it to many young people over the years, telling my sporting story and being able to do it again is a satisfaction I cannot explain.”

A special ceremony will be organised during the Hyundai Archery World Cup Final in Rome in September to thank the Albanian and Italian Paralympic Committees, and Dr Lame in person.

“I will be able to personally express my gratitude for what they did, as well as Dr Artan Lame and, I hope, the Italian Ambassador in Albania will also be present as he has also spent a great deal of his time,” said Oscar.