Olympic Gold Medal Taken in Calif. Home Burglary

Jan. 31, 2011
Oceanside police are investigating a home burglary in which an Olympic gold medal was taken.

OCEANSIDE, Calif. --

Oceanside police are investigating a home burglary in which an Olympic gold medal was taken.

Police said the burglary happened on Wednesday afternoon and many of Tristan Gale Geisler's valuables were missing, most notably the gold medal she won at the 2002 Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City.

"It's tough. It's a punch in the gut for sure. I would honestly say it's harder for my mom more than anyone. Your number one fan always takes it pretty hard," said Geisler.

She said news of the burglary also disappointed her husband, Marine Jon Geisler.

Geisler said her engagement ring was also stolen, along with four laptop computers and a Nintendo Wii gaming system.

Geisler won the first-ever gold medal awarded to a woman in the skeleton event -- face-first, high-speed sledding on an icy track.

On Friday, Oceanside police were fingerprinting the windows, the TV and any surfaces that might lead to a suspect.

Geisler said she is investigating on her own, using a new laptop to scan Craigslist and eBay to see if she recognizes anything for sale.

"You just scroll through and there'll be like, 'Oh, I had a pink remote and one normal white one. Let's see if I can find someone selling a pink remote with this game or whatever,'" said Geisler.

Neighbor Kent Hughes told 10News he was walking his dog and noticed suspicious activity at the time of the burglary.

"There was a guy at the door, standing, looking around," said Hughes.

He saw two other people waiting in a small, silver Ford sedan. He wrote down the license plate number and presented it to police.

One keepsake left behind in the burglary was cufflinks presented by former President George W. Bush.

Geisler retains her optimism, though, and told 10News, "I say, What's an Olympian without hope? I'm hopeful."

If the original medal can’t be found, Geisler may petition the Olympic Committee for the right to buy a replacement at cost.

The medal isn’t solid gold, as there is a gold veneer over sterling silver.

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