One of the medals won by David Popovici costs $13. The “gold” from the Paris 2024 Olympics is actually silver

The gold medal is the most coveted trophy awarded at the Olympic Games. 10,500 athletes entered the battle for the 329 gold, silver and bronze medals put up for grabs by the organizers.

Romania has so far two gold medals, one silver and one bronze. David Popovici and the rowing crew of Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache won the supreme trophy. Rowers Simona Radiș and Ancuța Bodnar took the silver, and David Popovici got another bronze.

The gold medals from Paris are actually silver

2024 Olympic gold medal it is not made entirely of gold. All medals are 85 millimeters in diameter and 9.2 millimeters thick.

They weigh 529 grams and contain only six grams of pure gold. The majority of the medal, approximately 95.4%, is made of silver (505 grams), plus 18 grams of iron from the Eiffel Tower.

The medals also contain iron from the Eiffel Tower

The inclusion of iron from the Eiffel Tower adds historical and symbolic value, as this iron comes from sections of the monument that were removed during a modernization project of the imposing Parisian edifice.

Medal design for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games it was made by Chaumet, a historic French luxury jewelry house. The central hexagon of the medal, representing France, incorporates the iron of the Eiffel Tower and is engraved with the emblem of the Paris 2024 Games. This emblem includes the gold medal, the Olympic flame and the face of Marianne, symbolizing the French Republic. Below the emblem appear the words “Paris Olympic Games” and the Olympic Games logo consisting of five rings.

On the reverse of the medals is the goddess of victory, Athena Nike, emerging from the Panathenaic Stadium, with the Acropolis of Athens and the Eiffel Tower included in the design.

Only in 1912 were the medals made of pure gold

According to Forbes, the cost of an Olympic gold medal in 2024 is about $950. It’s the highest value in modern gaming history, and that’s mainly due to the record price of gold. Until now, the record was $708 and was achieved at the 2012 London Olympics.

The last time gold medals were made of only gold was at the 1912 Olympics, which took place in Stockholm, Sweden. If the 1st place medal, awarded in Paris, were entirely gold, it would cost more than 35,000 euros.
The Paris silver medal weighs 525 grams and has 507 grams of silver and 18 grams of iron. Its value is approximately 486 dollars.

The bronze medal weighs 455 grams and is made of 415.15 grams of copper, 21.85 grams of zinc and 18 grams of iron. Its value is about 13 dollars.

In the medal standings, China currently leads with 11 gold medals and a total of 24 medals. In second place is the USA with 9 gold medals and a total of 37. France, Australia and Japan have eight gold medals so far.