Olympic medals represent the pinnacle of athletic achievement, the culmination of decades of dedication, sweat, and sacrifice. Only the world’s most exceptional athletes ever get to feel the weight of one around their neck. Given their immense value and the extraordinary effort required to earn them, you might imagine these shimmering symbols of triumph are kept in grand display cases or secure vaults. But in a twist that often surprises many, a significant number of Olympians choose far more unassuming — and sometimes downright mundane — places for their prized possessions: the humble sock drawer.
Take Alex Hall, for example. The 27-year-old slopestyle skier, who famously won gold at the 2022 Games, confesses to stashing his medal beneath a pile of socks and thermal underwear. “It hasn’t seen sunlight in a long time,” he quipped, now pondering where to keep his newly acquired silver medal. He’s not alone in this peculiar habit. Mikaela Shiffrin, a legendary Alpine skier with three Olympic medals, is also a proud ‘sock drawer person.’ Even Ryan Lochte, one of swimming’s most decorated male Olympians with a staggering 12 medals, has opted for similar low-key storage.
Christopher Mazdzer, an Olympic luger, offers an even more eclectic example. His 2018 silver medal, as captured in a photo, rests in a dresser drawer. “I have some sunglasses in there, too,” Mazdzer added with a chuckle. For athletes fresh off their victories, like American figure skater Danny O’Shea, who won gold in a recent team event, the idea of parting with a medal seems unfathomable. “Around my neck for as long as possible,” he declared when asked about its future home.
However, the initial euphoria eventually gives way to a more pragmatic perspective. Chris Fogt, a bobsledder who earned a silver medal in 2014, explains the shift: “Every Olympian’s childhood dream was standing up there and getting a medal hung around their necks. But after you get it, and you get a little older, it’s almost like the journey was more important.” This evolving sentiment often leads to medals being placed in easily accessible, yet not particularly prominent, locations. Valerie Fleming, another former bobsledder, casually moves her 2006 silver medal between a kitchen drawer and her nightstand at home in Park City, Utah, as shown in a close-up image. This spot is also favored by Chris Fogt.
These unglamorous storage choices are often a blend of accessibility, convenience, and a healthy dose of modesty. Many Olympians, unlike some of their professional sports counterparts, simply don’t possess the resources or the inclination for elaborate trophy rooms or personal shrines. Matt Antoine, a skeleton racer, embodies this sentiment, having tucked his 2014 bronze medal into a sock drawer in his closet, a scene depicted in an accompanying photo. “I’m just not like a showy, flashy type of person,” he stated. His medal did receive a minor upgrade, however; his mother fashioned a custom pouch for it, replacing its original home: an actual sock. This ‘sock-storage’ trend extends to others, including Paralympian Oksana Masters, who boasts 19 medals, and two-time Paralympic hockey gold medalist Jack Wallace.
Beyond modesty, the accessibility of a sock drawer facilitates another common practice: sharing. Jessie Diggins, who recently won bronze in cross-country skiing, keeps her three previous Olympic medals in a hat at her parents’ house. They’re often scuffed and scratched because she frequently lets children hold them. Tyler George, a 2018 curling gold medalist, perfectly articulates this shared joy: “It could stay in a fancy case all our lives and be in immaculate condition, but we wouldn’t get to share it with the literally thousands of people who get to see it and hold it and wear it.” A sock drawer ensures these community treasures are always within reach.
While many cling to their understated storage methods, some former ‘sock drawer residents’ have re-evaluated. Ryan Lochte, for instance, recently sold three of his medals, asserting he “never swam for the gold medals” and viewed them as merely a “cherry on top” of his career. Mirai Nagasu, a figure skater with a 2018 bronze, had her own moment of “self-reflection” last summer. Inspired by seeing Michelle Kwan’s memorabilia at her training rink, Nagasu donated her medal to the Skating Club of Boston, hoping to ignite similar inspiration in aspiring students.
Could this signal a shift, encouraging more Olympians to free their medals from their secret stashes? Matt Antoine admits his wife occasionally suggests more prominent displays for his bronze. “So maybe there’s a point at some time when I put it out there a little more, show it off a bit,” he mused. For Ashley Caldwell and her husband, Justin Schoenefeld, who both earned gold medals together in mixed team aerial skiing in 2022, an image shows Alex Hall with his skiing gold, which he keeps with his socks. The initial thought of custom cases faded with time for Caldwell and Schoenefeld. Their solution? The nightstands beside their bed. Caldwell concludes, “We sleep between two Olympic gold medals. It feels pretty good.”