US Olympic soccer star Lynn Williams reveals how she won the gold medal

“Ironically, that’s not how it broke,” she said on TikTok. “I’m sure it didn’t help, but that’s not how it broke.

“So I waved it, it went, it was fine, and then we were dancing.”

The medal did not survive Williams’ dance moves.

“I had it on my shoulder like a little bag, and I was just jumping, dancing jumping, and I jumped down, and it just fell off,” she said. “So everyone was dancing, and I was wandering around trying to get my medal off the ground.”

The ribbon coming loose wasn’t the only damage.

“There’s a dent in it now, so it’s more — it’s definitely unique,” she said. “And the little rod is gone, so I don’t know what happened. The rod came loose and fell out.

“Like I said, the swinging probably didn’t help, but I just think they should have made these better. They should have made them sturdier, and honestly, I can’t be criticized for that.”

She said she doesn’t know if she will get it repaired and is waiting to hear from the International Olympic Committee.

“They said I could probably get one,” she said. “I had to prove to them that it was damaged. Now we’re just waiting.”

The IOC told TODAY.com earlier this month that it has a supply of extra medals that can be engraved as replacements if needed, or the medal can simply be repaired.

“If not, I honestly think it’s a cool and funny story,” Williams said.

“The best new roller coaster ever,” wrote one TikTok commenter.

Williams isn’t the only Olympian whose medal is in bad shape after Paris. Team USA’s Nyjah Huston, who won bronze in the men’s street skateboarding event, said on his Instagram Story earlier this month that his medal was damaged after his win, Access Hollywood reports.

He also showed the damage to the surface of the medal when he examined it closely.

“Okay, these Olympic medals look great when they’re brand new,” he said in a video. “But after letting them sit on my skin for a while with some sweat and then having my friends wear them on the weekend, apparently they’re not as high quality as you’d think. Look at that thing. It looks rough.”

According to the BBC, British athlete Yasmin Harper also said the bronze she won in the women’s 3m synchronised jumping showed “little bits of dullness”.

“Paris 2024 is working closely with Monnaie de Paris, the institution in charge of the production and quality control of the medals, and with the national Olympic committee of the athlete in question, to assess the medal and understand the circumstances and cause of the damage,” organizers said in a statement to the BBC. “The medals are the most coveted objects of the Games and the most precious to the athletes. Damaged medals are systematically replaced by Monnaie de Paris and engraved in the same way as the originals.”