Gary Hall Jr., a 10-time Olympic Medalist, was forced to evacuate yesterday, losing everything in the Palisades fire.
Gary Hall Sr. posted on Facebook this evening that Gary Jr. had to evacuate quickly yesterday with nothing but his dog, Puddles, his insulin, a painting of his grandfather, and a painting of the ‘Blessed Mary’ given to him by his daughter.
Everything else, including his Olympic medals and family heirlooms were lost when the fire reached his home, according to his father, who is also an Olympian.
Hall was using the home he was renting to teach swim lessons to kids in the area through his business, Sea Monkeys Swimming.
He was able to get a hotel for him and his dog last night, and is now staying with family in San Diego.
A GoFundMe was created to support him and help him recover from the loss of his home and his business. The fund has currently raised $5,900 of his $10,000 goal.
Hall Jr. won 10 Olympic medals between 1996-2004, winning back-to-back titles in the 50m freestyle in 2000 and 2004. He was also a crucial member of United States relays and helped them to three golds (1996: 4×100 free, 4×100 medley; 2000 4×100 medley), a silver (2000: 4×100 free), and a bronze (2004: 4×100 free). His other medals were two silvers (1996: 50 and 100 free; 2000) and a bronze (2000: 100 free).
