One ambitious Olympian has taken a leave of absence from his deli job to pursue his dream of competing in Paris. Another athlete is a former nanny whose employers were supportive of her Olympic aspirations.
These hurdlers and runners were ecstatic when they found out that they would be competing not just for the coveted gold medals at this summer’s Olympics but also for a sizeable $50,000 first-prize cheque.
“I mean, I wouldn’t even know what to do with that much money,” said American hurdler Dylan Beard, who works at the Walmart Supercenter in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
Dylan Beard expressed his excitement about the U.S. track and field trials. His words are indicative of the wider excitement in the track and Olympic worlds after World Athletics finally revealed the much-anticipated $2.4 million cash prize pool that would be shared by the champions of 48 events at the Paris Games.
The sport has received its largest financial boost in decades with the World Athletics’ prize money and the formation of a new track league overseen by sprinting legend Michael Johnson. This cash infusion provides a much-needed lifeline for track athletes who have struggled for attention and incentives since the great Usain Bolt retired.
Track stars then and now: From glorious times to widening divide
In sports, the gap between well-known athletes and less-known ones has got wider, between stars like Noah Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and the also-rans.
Olympic medallist Evan Jager pointed out in a recent ESPN documentary on sprinter Butch Reynolds how times have changed since track stars like Carl Lewis and Jackie Joyner-Kersee were celebrities and media darlings.
About the financial rewards back then, Jager said a top star could get a $70,000 appearance fee for running in meets. “You don’t hear too many athletes getting that much money in appearance fees (today) at some of these meets,” he was quoted as saying by UK Sports Yahoo