One of two Olympic bronze medals stolen from a London nightclub has been recovered, police have said.

The medals, belonging to hockey player Hannah Macleod and rower Alex Partridge, were taken with their TeamGB jackets as they partied after a reception hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday to celebrate the achievements of the London 2012 athletes.

The Metropolitan police said Macleod's medal had been posted anonymously to England Hockey's head office in Buckinghamshire.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said officers were holding on to the medal while they continue their inquiries but it would be returned to Macleod shortly.

The medals were taken after the pair joined fellow Olympians at the Mahiki nightclub in Mayfair.

Partridge's jacket – minus his medal – was handed in to a north-west London police station on Thursday.

A 31-year-old man has been arrested concerning the thefts and bailed until 23 November.

Det Chief Insp James Harman said: "We are still looking to recover the second medal, and we stress that our inquiries remain active. Our appeals for information stand and I take this opportunity to reiterate them – if the public can help we ask them to do so.

"Alex's medal has yet to be traced, and he is understandably keen to be reunited with it as soon as possible."

Macleod, 28, had asked on Twitter for whoever took the medal to post it back to the hockey headquarters at Bisham Abbey.

On Wednesday she tweeted: "I'm not after punishment. If you picked up a bronze Olympic medal that isn't yours pls just send anonymously back to GB hockey-Bisham Abbey."

She told the Sun she had been scouring eBay to see if it was on the auction website.

"I want it back so much. I had a look on eBay in case it ends up there," she told the newspaper. "I've hardly slept since. I've just been standing by the phone, waiting for news."

The athletes published a photo of a man captured on CCTV who they wished to talk to about the alleged thefts.