Olympians share true state of their Paris 2024 medals five months after games following controversy

Athletes who won medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics probably thought their prizes would be a long-lasting legacy of their achievements - but apparently, they aren't ageing very well.

By the rate at which the honours appear to be deteriorating, a few sport stars think that there isn't much life left in them...despite the fact they were only handed out five months ago.

A pair of French swimmers have shared images of their bronze medals looking worse for wear on social media, reigniting the debate surrounding the quality of them.

If you were engrossed in the Olympics earlier this year, you might remember the controversy that erupted regarding the resilience of the medals.

They were designed by Paris jewellery house Chaumetand, were made by the Paris Mint, and each included a piece of scrap iron taken from the Eiffel Tower during previous renovations.

More than 1,000 of the hexagon-shaped awards were handed out in total at the 2024 Games, but a few of the recipients have been left displeased with the durability of them.

Just a week after receiving his, US skateboarder Nyjah Huston claimed that his bronze medal looked as though it had been 'to war and back'.

The athlete, who finished in third place in the men’s street final, explained in an Instagram post: "These Olympic medals look great when they're brand-new.

"But after letting it sit on my skin with some sweat for a little bit and letting my friends wear it over the weekend.

"They're apparently not as high quality as you'd think."

Brazil's Rebeca Andrade, who overtook Simone Biles for gold in the floor gymnastics final, also revealed she wasn't going to wear her medals as they were 'knocking against each other and are scratching'.

Danish badminton player Viktor Axelsen shared a close-up video comparing his gold gong from Paris to his medal from Tokyo 2021 - and the older one appeared to have aged a lot more gracefully.

Brit diver Yasmin Harper, who won bronze in the women’s 3m synchronised springboard, also said she had noticed 'some small bits of tarnishing' and 'discolouration', according to The Guardian.

Now, French swimmers Clement Secchi and Yohann Ndoye-Brouard have gone viral after sharing snaps showing the dire state of their bronze medals online.

The Olympians won the awards together after their team finished third in the 4x100m medley relay.

Secchi, 24, shared a picture of his medal on Instagram alongside the caption 'crocodile skin', seemingly referring to it's scaly appearance.

It looked as though the colour of the medal had faded significantly, while the material was also wearing away.

After seeing the image circulating on X, Ndoye-Brouard, 24, decided to one-up his fellow athlete by revealing what his bronze medal looks like six months after receiving it.

Joking that it looked as though it was from 1924 rather than 2024, he added in reference to Secchi's medal: "And yet she is in good shape."

Following the initial controversy which erupted following Huston's complaints back in August, Paris 2024 officials addressed athletes concerns about the longevity of their medals.

They vowed to replace any 'damaged' medals, in a statement shared with the Daily Mail at the time.

A spokesperson for the Games said: "Paris 2024 is aware of a social media report from an athlete whose medal is showing damage a few days after it was awarded.

"Paris 2024 is working closely with the Monnaie de Paris, the institution tasked with the production and quality control of the medals, and together with the National Olympic Committee of the athlete concerned, in order to appraise the medal to understand the circumstances and cause of the damage.

"The medals are the most coveted objects of the Games and the most precious for the athletes.

"Damaged medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris and engraved in an identical way to the originals."

LADbible has contacted the Paris 2024 press office for further comment.