After 29 years, finally reunited with his medal

For almost 29 years, Anjo Hofman from Stedum had to wait, but since January 2015, he has finally gotten back his Elfstedentocht cross from 1986.

The Stedumer is passionate about skating and participated in the Elfstedentocht on February 26, 1986. However, he never actually got to hold the medal. "My wife had picked it up from the post office," he begins his story. "It ended up on the table. Our youngest son was about four or five years old at the time and threw away anything he considered trash. And so, it ended up in the garbage." Anjo shared his story on the RTV Noord program Dam Op. Trienko van der Velde from Leek saw the broadcast, and something clicked.

"I knew from an acquaintance that he had an Elfstedentocht cross at home," Van der Velde explains. "He had found it at a paper recycling plant. At that moment, I was already 99 percent sure that this was Anjo's medal."

The Stedumer was surprised. "I have to admit, I’m a bit stunned—I never thought I’d get it back. It's a beautiful little thing, and I think we'll hang it in the kitchen where we can see it."