MOSCOW, December 4 (R-Sport) – CSKA Moscow guard Vitaly Fridzon told R-Sport on Wednesday he is to receive a new London 2012 Olympic bronze medal to replace one stolen from the Russian basketball star last summer.
Fridzon's Moscow suburbs house was burgled just two weeks after the national men’s team won its first-ever Olympic basketball medal, beating Argentina in the bronze-medal game on August 12.
Nearly 15 months on, with all hope of recovering the original medal abandoned, the 28-year-old will be presented with a replacement ahead of Friday’s Euroleague game against Fenerbahce.
“Now I watch the game, photos and see the medal on my chest, but in fact I don’t have it and can’t show it to anyone,” Fridzon told R-Sport. “It’s good that there are good people and my team, because without CSKA nothing would have worked out.”
Fridzon added he would be more careful this time and probably keep the medal in a safe or even in a bank deposit box.
Six-time Euroleague champion CSKA has footed the $630 bill for the new medal, which will bear the word "replica" to indicate the first one was lost.
Fridzon was key to Russia's success in London, averaging 11.5 points over eight games to trail only Brooklyn Nets forward Andrei Kirilenko, who posted 17.5, in the scoring stakes.
