Team South Africa’s sole para-powerlifter Ricardo Fitzpatrick has had the perfect present before jetting over to the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. MARK ETHERIDGE reports from the Gold Coast.
Fitzpatrick, 38, had some of his most treasured medals stolen from his Kimberly home earlier this year.
But on Wednesday there was an unexpected and most welcome development.
‘A guy called Calvin returned my medals, telling me that a guy had been trying to sell the medals.
‘He remembered seeing on Facebook social media that my medals had been stolen. So he bought them and returned it to me.’
The story of the Good Samaritan gets better: ‘He didn’t even want any money in return as a reward. He just told me that we all work hard for something and it’s so easy for something to take that away from you.’
Fitzpatrick remembers when his medals were stolen.
‘It was a Friday in late January. Someone came to the back door asking for a glass of water. I obliged and he then went to the toilet. All my medals were hanging in my room and the toilet was exactly opposite my room door. He came out, thanked me and left.
‘It was only that Monday that I noticed that three of my gold medals were gone.’
The stolen gold medals were his 2016 Arnold Classic Bench Press, 2016 African Bench Press and 2017 Commonwealth Bench Press rewards.
‘Now I’m just happy to have those three prominent medals back in my possession.’
Picture of Fitzpatrick’s three returned medals was supplied by him