Legendary figure skater Surya Bonaly says her collection of championship medals was stolen from her Las Vegas home while she was out of state caring for her mother, who is battling cancer. The three-time World silver medalist shared the news on Instagram on November 7, calling on the local community to help locate the missing items as police investigate the alleged burglary.
“You see all those medals that I won in the past while competing in different worlds and European championships are sadly gone,” Bonaly wrote, noting that her home had been burglarized and valuables taken. She added a plea to Las Vegas residents and pawn shop workers to keep an eye out for her gold and silver medals from international competitions and to contact police if they surface for sale.
What Bonaly Says Happened
Bonaly told FOX5 Vegas she was in Minnesota at the time of the break-in, caring for her mother after diagnoses of lung, breast, and sternum cancer. The outlet also reported that Bonaly is undergoing treatment for breast cancer. According to Bonaly, the alleged burglars targeted her home over the course of four consecutive days—an ordeal she described as organized and deliberate.
“I think it’s definitely organized by a company or by some bad people,” she said, recalling the moment she returned to find her front door open and the house ransacked. “I realized that my medals were gone. European champion or world champion, junior, everything — any medals that I had with my skating.”
Surveillance footage obtained by FOX5 Vegas reportedly shows multiple people arriving at the property, including an individual in a black hoodie and a woman wearing what appeared to be a delivery vest. The outlet said video also showed shattered windows and the home’s security cameras being removed. Bonaly later found a similar vest discarded one street away.
The skater filed a police report with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Summerlin Area Command. The investigation is ongoing.
Her Public Appeal To The Community
In her Instagram post, Bonaly offered a direct reminder to local residents and businesses. She asked pawn shops and anyone encountering championship medals—particularly gold and silver pieces from European and World competitions—to contact authorities immediately. “Please, please call the police immediately,” she wrote, punctuating the message with a prayer emoji.
Bonaly also spoke candidly about the emotional toll of losing the irreplaceable mementos of her career. “Some people just feel like it’s better to steal something from someone than to go to work,” she told FOX5 Vegas. “I’m hoping that I can find maybe some medals. I’m hoping, and I pray really that no one’s gonna melt that medal.”
For athletes, medals are more than hardware; they are tangible pieces of history, tied to years of training, competition, and personal milestones. Bonaly’s request underscores how quickly that history can be scattered by a single crime—and how critical the public can be in bringing pieces of it back home.
Why These Medals Matter
Over a decorated career, Bonaly became one of the most recognizable and trailblazing figures in figure skating. She is a five-time European champion, a three-time World silver medalist, the 1991 World Junior Champion, and a nine-time French national champion. She also competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. The missing medals represent decades of achievement across junior and senior levels, including some of the sport’s highest stages.
Bonaly’s accomplishments resonated well beyond podium finishes. Her bold, boundary-pushing style and competitive resilience have made her an enduring figure in skating culture and sports history. The loss of her medals is not just a personal blow—it’s a cultural one, erasing physical markers tied to competitions watched by audiences around the world.
What’s Next In The Case
Local authorities are continuing to investigate, and FOX5 Vegas reports that surveillance video could be key in identifying those involved. Anyone with information related to the burglary or who encounters medals matching Bonaly’s description is urged to contact law enforcement. Bonaly’s call to the community—especially pawn shops and secondhand dealers who might encounter high-value memorabilia—could prove decisive in recovering the items.
For now, Bonaly is focusing on family and health while hoping the public’s vigilance leads to a break in the case. “I feel mad,” she said of the violation, acknowledging that at times the situation has made her want to cry. Even so, her message remains clear: keep watch, spread the word, and help bring the medals back.
As the investigation unfolds, Bonaly’s appeal serves as a reminder that the stories attached to sports memorabilia are often as valuable as the items themselves. The hope is that this story finds a better ending—one where a champion is reunited with the symbols of a career that inspired so many.
