Curran, who has climbed Everest nine times, told the BBC that this move is to commemorate a 1922 climbing expedition. That year, a team including several British adventurers attempted to climb Everest. They reached a point just 500 meters from the summit, but failed to reach the top after several attempts. During their final push for the summit, an avalanche swept down from the sky, claiming the lives of seven team members.
To commemorate this event, two years later at the 1924 Winter Olympics, the entire team was collectively awarded Olympic medals. One member, E. Streatfeild, vowed at the time that they would definitely take an Olympic medal to the summit of Everest next time. But nearly 90 years later, that vow remains unfulfilled.
As a later-generation climber, Curran wants to complete this mission. "That expedition was groundbreaking in many ways. They reached an incredible altitude," said Curran. He has borrowed the Olympic medal from the family of A. Wakefield, the team’s doctor at the time, who was also awarded a medal.
According to the plan, Curran will head to Nepal soon. After acclimatizing there, he will attempt to climb Everest in May with the medal, striving to take it to the summit. "The 2012 London Olympics are approaching, and I know when I need to set off," said Ken Curran confidently.