This Olympic Champ Was Forced to Return a Gold Medal

It's safe to say that Alyssa Liu had a fantastic Olympic run. After coming out of retirement and winning both a national and world championship, the 20-year-old figure skater is going home as a double gold medalist in the team and ladies' singles events. But after a little mishap, Liu ended up having to return one of her golds.

In a video she shared following victory in the team event, Liu holds up a ribbon-less gold medal with the caption, "My medal don't need the ribbon. Proud of the team." She then proceeds to show off the separate components, as well as the American flag on her T-shirt.

Per The Mirror, Liu recounted: "I was just jumping up and down, as one does to celebrate, and it just dropped. It just literally fell off of the ribbon. It got very scratched up...pretty dented."

However, true to her exuberant and cheery personality, the Olympian wasn't bothered by the dents and scratches. But the Olympic committee had other ideas: it had to be returned.

"I actually liked it when it was off the ribbon, but that's not allowed," she said. "I had to give it in. I was like, 'Can't you just fix this one?' I'm attached. But it's OK, I'm detached. Just like it was."

After an investigation, the committee instituted a fix, and Liu's medal was returned to her. Other athletes with defective hardware were also asked to render their medals back for repairs or replacement, including alpine skier Breezy Johnson and ice dancer Evan Bates.