Gary Hall Jr. won 10 Olympic medals with the U.S. swimming team from 1996 to 2004, then lost all of it when he lost his house in Pacific Palisades in January.

He now owns all five gold, all three silver and two bronzes after International Olympic Committee Chairman Thomas Bach showed him the replica on Monday at the Olympic Building in Lausanne, Switzerland.

In a telephone interview with The Times, Hall admitted that he said at the ceremony that he believed it was a huge gesture from one of the largest governing bodies in sports.

"Just appreciate - 'One of our own' is a feeling I've accepted," Hall said. "When tough times happen, you'll find out who your friends are. To see this reaction from the highest level of sports, it makes you feel special. It makes you feel supported, which is very needed at this time. This value is huge as you rebuild the process and deal with incredible losses.

” ... Our value is measured by how much we want to help others, and is humble and inspiring on the receiving end of helping and supporting.”

Hall kept the medals in a fire safe - "I have to warranty for this because it is absolutely not fireproof," he joked - joking in his bedroom closet, bringing them out to help them inspire kids and aspiring athletes during appearances and speeches.

On January 7, Hall was unable to retrieve the medal when a large wildfire hit the area and then fled to his sister's house in Encinitas. A few weeks later, he returned to the place where his house stood and found a safe place in the rubble. Hall was able to open it, but was "disappointed" at what he found inside.

"It's basically a pool of melted metal - you know, watches, jewelry, cuff connections and some kind of combination of that safe Olympic medal," Hall said. "It's a mix in a big spot. I was able to pry open the semi-media that melted together. I gave it to President Thomas Bach, who politely refused and told me that I should keep that book. It's a unique Olympic medal, got a little character, got a little bit."

He added: "There is another medal, a silver medal, and it's a bit visible, and you can tell it's an Olympic medal. I'll probably donate that to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne."

In addition to all his possessions, the fire also made his swimming business, Sea Monkeys swim, and he ran out of the pool at home. He is working hard to get a physical exercise platform for swimming and running and plans to use that funding to restart his business — first in Florida, where he has been there for the past few months, or San Diego County, and then eventually back to Palisades.

"I think everyone who lives in that area loves the area. It doesn't exist anymore," Hall said. "So it's a recovery process, and it's going to take time. This business I'm in depends on the families and kids in the area. Those people I know and talk about, even those people whose houses aren't burning, are moving out because it's a toxic environment. I love Los Angeles, I love Los Angeles, and it forces me to be bad, so it's bad, so it's bad, so bad."

Hall said one "glare" in the situation is that his 17-year-old son Charlie must be with him when he receives a new medal, "because he didn't see the first one being won."

“Being able to share this experience with him means the world to me,” Hall said.