World Champion Pawel Fajdek uses gold medal to 'pay for taxi' in Beijing

Polish athlete Pawel Fajdek won gold at the World Championships in Bejing, but his dream turned to a nightmare when his over-enthusiastic celebrations resulted in his medal being used to pay for a taxi.

Fajdek, who was victorious thanks to a throw of 80.88m, celebrated his success by going out drinking, but consumed a little too much, according to reports in Chinese media outlet Tencent.

The hammer thrower woke up the next morning in a panicked state when he realised his prize was missing from his hotel.

After discovering its absence, the Pole called the police, who tracked down the gold medal to a taxi driver, who stated Fajdek had willingly handed it over after he could not afford the fare.

The taxi driver in question returned the medal after a conversation with the police, much to Fajdek's relief.

Members of the press had witnessed Fajdek enjoy his night out at a local restaurant, saying he had "drunk a lot", but he will feel justified now he has his medal back.