Serious health issues, force dual gold medallist Michael Diamond to sell his other gold medal
With heart problems plaguing the champion shooter, he’s made the hard decision to auction off his 1996 Atlanta Olympic Gold Medal to help with financial struggles.
Newcastle
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Shooting champion Michael Diamond is again selling off another of his Olympic gold medals to pay his debts which include medical bills after finding out he could possibly need a heart transplant.
The dual gold medallist is experiencing serious health difficulties after discovering gall bladder problems about two months ago.
“About eight weeks ago I noticed a big saggy bag of fluid accumulate around my belly and I couldn’t eat very much without it swelling in pain, so I got onto doctor Google and came up with a few underlying issues,” Diamond said.
“I ran myself into the hospital in the next days to come and trying to get on top of it immediately.”
On top of that, doctors told him his heart was only working at 15 per cent pumping capacity.
The news came as a complete shock, facing the prospect he may also need to be put on the heart transplant waiting list.
“I’m laid up in bed for most of my days and obviously allowing my heart to recover from only a 15 per cent pump,” he said.
“Most normal people have got a 75 per cent pump so mine has worked its way down to 15 per cent and all because of the gall bladder being infected.”
Thankfully, his heart is back up to 25 per cent and he’s feeling a lot better.
At Newcastle’s Calvary Mater Hospital, Diamond will go under the knife on Tuesday to remove his gall bladder
“The gall bladder is coming out tomorrow and that’s going to be a great positive because the infection in the body itself will no longer be there making the heart work overtime,” Diamond added.
“The doctors are monitoring the success of my heart and if the heart does decline, they will be putting me on a transplant list immediately.”
With the devastating news, Diamond had to also make a hard decision.
He’ll auction off his 1996 Atlanta Olympic Gold Medal to help with his financial struggles.
While he admits the medal is “priceless”, Diamond is hoping to raise $100,000.
“It will be as sad as the first one, it comes with much regret,” Diamond said.
“I’ve got a fair few bills that I incurred during that court case back in 2017, so I’d like to get that big black cloud hanging over me, away.
“If that’s what you’ve got to do then that’s what you’ve got to do.
“Given the orders from the doctors is I can’t do any work for the next three months has obviously triggered that decision and quite convincingly because we do have to live as well.
“I just need to give every chance to my heart because I have only got the one to get better and if auctioning off the other medal is what I have to do, then so be it.”
Diamond's career went off the rails in 2016 following an alleged domestic dispute and high-range drink-driving charge.
He was then found guilty in 2017 of three firearm offences which carried a ban from holding a gun license and saw him miss the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Diamond successfully appealed against the conviction.
In late 2017, he sold his other gold medal, won for trap shooting at the 2000 Sydney Olympic games, for more than $70,000 to British Olympic fencer Richard Oldcorn.
But he’s optimistic that one day he’ll be able to buy both medals back.
He also hasn’t ruled out a come back.
“I could be back in the future after that, never say never, the fire is still burning,” he said.
The auction of his 1996 Atlanta Olympic Gold Medal will be held at 2pm Thursday, December 5, at the prestigious 100 year old Leonard Joel auction house in Melbourne.
The medal will be available for viewing onWednesday.