After securing the silver medal in the javelin throw at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Polish Olympian Maria Andrejczyk is auctioning off her prized medal to help save a toddler’s life.
The Olympian made the announcement on her Facebook page, writing she’s chosen to raise funds for an 8-month-old baby boy, who needs to travel for heart surgery from Poland to Stanford University in California. Andrejczyk wrote that although she doesn’t know Miloszek Malysa, she knows this is the right choice to make after reading online pleas for help from his parents.
She said the cost to cover the transportation and treatment was 1.5 million Polish zlotys, about $385,000,
“The true value of a medal always remains in the heart,” the Olympian told the Times of London. “A medal is only an object, but it can be of great value to others. This silver can save lives, instead of collecting dust in a closet. That is why I decided to auction it to help sick children.”
On August 17, an announcement was made by Andrejczyk saying she’s closed the auction, as a Polish convenience store chain, Zabka, made the winning bid.
The convenience store confirmed the news on Facebook, stating they gracefully declined to accept her medal.
“We were moved by the beautiful and extremely noble gesture of our Olympian,” the store wrote.
“We also decided that the silver medal from Tokyo will stay with Ms. Maria.”
