Lost Treasure: Muhammad Ali’s Gold Medal

Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), born as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., is considered to be one of the best boxers of all time. In the 1960 Summer Olympics, held in Rome, he won the gold medal in the light heavyweight division of boxing at the age of 18. He would later turn professional and win countless other championships during his lifetime as a boxer. He also received numerous awards and other types of recognition all through his life. He definitely was one of kind.

There is a mystery surrounding his 1960 Gold Medal though. In his 1975 autobiography, The Greatest: My Own Story, it is written that soon after returning home from the Olympics he was refused service at a restaurant for being colored, and being upset that not even his ‘stardom’ could deter this mistreatment, he threw his Olympic Gold Medal into the Ohio River over the Second Street Bridge in Louisville, Kentucky, near where he lived.

There are stories of it being found in 2014 during the Annual Ohio River Sweep, but this is not confirmed. And in 2016, the Smithsonian Channel’s ‘Sports Detectives’ delved deep into the mystery of the lost treasure by talking to many who knew Muhammad and the story.  There were conflicting accounts of how Muhammad Ali’s Gold Medal was lost, and not everyone was convinced it was thrown into the Ohio River in the first place.

Some closest to him feel he wouldn’t have ever cast his treasured prize into the river. They say he wore it all the time, was extremely proud of his achievement, and even slept with the medal.  Nonetheless, it has gone missing.  This is one of the only few facts known about the Gold Medal.

It has been suggested that the story of it being thrown in the Ohio River, first appearing in the Autobiography, which was mainly written by a ghost writer, was created to not only offer an explanation for his missing Gold Medal, but to also build awareness of the discriminatory times Muhammad grew up in for the book.  It spread from there, and became widely stated, but not a known fact.

Other suggestions for what may have happened to the lost treasure is that it was stolen, given away by Muhammad to someone special, or just plain misplaced.  Support for all these theories are just as strong as the other. It was reported many items of Muhammad’s were taken/stolen throughout his life from him, and sold to collectors. He was also known to give away many of his prized winning memorabilia to girls he fancied. Either of these is possible. So is the possibility of it just being plain lost since Muhammad carried the medal around with him everywhere he went. It could have fallen off or something. Muhammad has never made any convincing comment on the matter. It seems he was fine with letting it be a mystery.

So where might this lost treasure be today?  As so many things are found or resurface over time, it’s possible the missing Gold Medal of Muhammad Ali might become a found treasure some day. Time will tell.

Always keep your eyes out for all treasure! You never know when one will appear before you!

Best of luck with all that you seek!  Always Treasure the Adventure!

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