Polish hammer-throw champion drunkenly uses gold medal to pay for taxi

Much to Pavel Fajdek's chagrin, gold medals apparently pass for currency in China.

The Polish hammer thrower reportedly used a medal he won at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing to pay for a taxi while intoxicated.

Fajdek won gold Sunday after a winning throw of 80.88 meters, then woke up Monday morning to find his medal was missing, according to Chinese media outlet Tencent.

Polish journalists covering the event in Beijing confirmed seeing the 26-year-old at a restaurant, having "drunk a lot in the celebration party" after his victory. Fajdek immediately contacted police to report the lost prize.

Officers helped him track down the taxi driver and retrieve the medal, his second at the World Championships following a gold-medal effort in 2013.

- With h/t to For The Win