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Wladimir: I sold my ‘96 Olympic gold for $1 million

Phil D. Jay 
WBN Editor
Klitschko reveals March sale of coveted prize

Four-belt world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has admitted cashing in his super-heavyweight Olympic gold medal and donating the funds to his own charity which he founded with brother Vitali.

The 36 year-old, who travelled to Atlanta in 1996 as part of the Ukraine’s first independent athletics team, defeated Tongan Paea Wolfgramm 7-3 in the final to pick up the top amateur prize and told CNN of his pride at claiming the medal.

"It was absolutely a highlight in my life and also a highlight for the country because Ukraine in 1996 for the first time traveled to the Olympic Games as an independent country," Klitschko told CNN.

"We collected a lot of medals and we got ninth place worldwide, so we got in the top 10, which was a great achievement by the athletes."

"I did sell the medal in March and 100% of the funds, which is $1 million, went to the Klitschko Brothers Foundation -- we care about education and sport, that is the key in any children's life.

"If they have knowledge they can succeed with that in their adult life and sport gives them the rules -- how to respect your opponent, how to respect the rules.

"It is always in life like that, you go down but you have to get up, and sport gives you this great lesson."
Klitschko has ruled the heavyweight division following a rocky start to his career, in which ‘Dr. Steelhammer’ suffered three bad knockout losses, but has turned his career around since linking up with Emanuel Steward.

The WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO title holder has gone on to score 51 stoppages in 58 victories and is widely regarded as the top heavyweight in the world with his undefeated record stretching back to 2004.

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