Part of Olympian's Gold Medal Returned

Atlanta, GA -- A piece of an Olympic gold medal that was stolen from a Midtown restaurant parking lot has been returned to its owner.

Two weeks ago, Joe Jacobi -- an Olympic canoeist -- and his wife were having dinner with their 15-year-old daughter at LaFonda on Howell Mill Road. They were taking their daughter to the airport but stopped for dinner beforehand. But someone stole Jacobi's backpack from his car, and his gold medal was inside.

Before the thief got away, Jacobi, who won the medal for whitewater canoeing in 1992, took a photo of the car that the suspect jumped into, which has been forwarded to Atlanta police. Jacobi even created a website,StolenGoldMedal.com, with instructions on how to return it.

But now, the most important part of the medal has been found. 6-year old Chloe Smith, her dad Wayne and her mom Charlmonique Cunningham were out walking one day when Chloe found a gold medallion lying on the ground. Her father happens to be a sports collector, and he instantly recognized the item as an Olympic piece.

Still missing is the medal's silver metallic base and its ribbon, but Jacobi nonetheless was overjoyed.