Olympic champ rocked by shocking crime

A burglar has taken the Olympic medals of four-time rowing representative Drew Ginn in a brazen robbery.

The medals were taken from a car in Melbourne overnight on Thursday.

The stolen medals include three golds and a silver.

Ginn, now 49 years old, won medals at four Games, from Atlanta in 1996, Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.

The Olympian was part of a rowing dynasty dubbed the “Oarsome Foursome”, which rose to high acclaim in Australian sport during the 1990s.

The theft happened at Docklands in Melbourne’s CBD. Police have asked the public to keep an eye open for the medals at pawn shops and online marketplaces.

Between 9pm on Thursday September 6, and 5am Friday September 7, someone broke into a black Land Rover on Cumberland Street.

“Mr Ginn’s Olympic medals had been left in his car due to a speaking engagement at a school,” police say in a statement.

The thief also took a Rip Curl wetsuit, a Go Pro camera and Sony headphones.

Melbourne crime investigation unit Detective Sergeant Timothy Reiher said the medals were “unbelievably rare items with significant sentimental value”.

“Olympic medals are awarded to the best of the best and are priceless to their recipients.”

“We ask that people look out for these medals in pawn shops and online selling platforms.”

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers or make a report online.