2012 LONDON SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES 3RD PLACE WINNER'S BRONZE MEDAL (IN ORIGINAL PRESENTATION CASE) AWARDED TO RUSSIAN MEN'S GYMNAST DENIS ABLYAZIN

The 2012 Summer Olympics were unforgettable from beginning to end. Starting with the Danny Boyle-directed opening ceremony, the London Games saw Michael Phelps win his 22nd Gold, making history as the most decorated athlete in the history of the modern Olympics, and for the first time ever, women competed in every sport with every country sending at least one female athlete to the Games. The Men’s Floor Artistic Gymnastics competition was held on August 5 at London’s North Greenwich Arena. China’s You Kai and Kohei Uchimura of Japan were the top two finishers in the qualification round and duplicated their feat in the final for the Gold and Silver medals respectively. The surprise of the finals was Russia’s Denis Ablyazin. The 20-year-old, competing in his first Olympics, finish at the bottom of the qualifiers, but came back in the final to snatch the bronze in Men's Floor. He would win the silver medal in the Vault at the 2012 London Games as well. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Ablyazin won three more medals: silver in both Vault and Team Competition; and bronze in Rings.

Presented here is the Bronze Winner’s Medal awarded to the Ablyazin for the Men’s Floor Artistic Gymnastics event. The obverse of the medals for the 2012 London Games were created by Elena Votsi and Kostas Kazakos, with the reverse done by David Watkins. The Votsi and Kazakos side depict the winged goddess Nike over Athens’ Panathinaiko Stadium with “XXX Olympiad London 2002” in raised letters above. The Watkins side features the abstract logo commissioned for the London Games. The name of the event is etched along the bottom rim. Measuring 85mm in diameter (7mm thick) and weighing a robust 388 grams (13.7 oz.), the bronze medal is suspended from a long purple ribbon complete with a continuation of the abstract logo design and “LONDON 2012” in white. The medal remains in outstanding condition and displays beautifully. It comes housed in its original black presentation case with the 1992 Summer Olympics logo on top and lined in purple velvet on the interior. Contemporary winners medals of any kind from recent Games are extremely rare in the hobby, and this one is certainly no exception.