Drunk hammer thrower pays for cab with gold medal

Pawel Fajdek of Poland won his second consecutive world championship in the hammer throw on Monday, and to celebrate becoming the youngest ever defending champion he enjoyed some drinks while out in Beijing, according to The Independent.

Pawel Fajdek of Poland won his second consecutive world championship in the hammer throw on Monday, and to celebrate becoming the youngest ever defending champion he enjoyed some drinks while out in Beijing, according to The Independent.

When Fajdek awoke on Tuesday he was without his hard-earned second medal, which understandably sent the 26-year-old into a panic, leading him to retrace his steps with the police.

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The investigation quickly led them to a cab driver who drove Fajdek the previous night, and said that the athlete had happily handed the medal over in lieu of payment.

The paper reports that the champion and police were able to get the cab driver to return the medal to its rightful owner, while members of the Polish press confirm that Fajdek did quite a bit of celebrating the night before.

[The Independent]