Sledge hockey Paralympian Paul Rosen has his cherished gold medal back, a week after someone took it.
"It looks exactly the same, it feels the same," he said Saturday.
"And I'll do exactly like I did in Torino after we won it." And with that, Rosen bit down on the medal.
Last year, he helped Canada win at the winter Paralympics in Italy. The team beat Norway 3-0 in the final
Last week, he was signing autographs at a spinal cord research fundraising event in Toronto's Downsview Park when he noticed the medal was missing.
After investigating, it was determined the medal had been stolen.
The act devastated Rosen. "I lost my leg in 1999, made the team in 2000. One of the hardest things I have ever done was to win a gold medal in 2006."
Even hockey broadcaster Don Cherry got into the act. "Put it in the mail box, and it will be returned to Paul," he said. "If you don't put it in a mailbox, you are a rat."
Fortunately, the thief had a conscience. Somebody dropped the medal in a mailbox near Downsview Park.
Police returned it to Rosen on Saturday.
Rosen described himself as relieved, not angry. "The least I can do is forgive this guy. He gave it back, he did the right thing, it's time to move on," he said.
Rosen plans to keep displaying the medal at future events. He looks forward to winning another one at the 2010 winter Paralympics in Vancouver.
With a report from CTV's Denelle Balfour and files from The Canadian Press
