“I don't make my money on the track”- Gabby Thomas makes stance clear about track paychecks and having a second job

Gabby Thomas recently opened up about the prize money received by athletes after winning the gold medal in the Olympics. The American athlete revealed that even though running track is her primary job, she earns most of her money from her second job, which is being an influencer and having her own brand.

The 28-year-old recently emerged as one of the most successful American track athletes at the Paris Olympics with three gold medals under her belt. Her dominant performance in the women's 200m finals, where she defeated Olympic gold medalist Julien Alfred, earned great appreciation from fans and critics.

Gabby Thomas appeared on the 'Networth and Chill' podcast and revealed the prize money for winning the Olympic gold medal. She revealed that gold medalists receive $37,000 , silver medalists take home $23,000, and the bronze medalist is awarded $15,000.

"For a gold medal in the US, you get paid 37,000 dollars. That's it and if you do relays, then you get to split it. Silver medals, I think you get $ 23,000 and Bronze something like $15,000 And world athletics, so if you do track and field, actually this year, this year is new. If you win a gold medal, you do get $50,000. And that's from World Athletics,” she said.

Gabby Thomas shared that winning the Olympic gold medal did not directly provide her with monetary benefits. However, it gave her access to sponsorships and brand deals which fueled her second career of being an influencer as well as building her personal brand.

"I have a job that is to run but I have a second job is to essentially that is to be an influencer, is to run my own brand. I don't make my money on the track, running at all. That gives me the opportunity to make money," she added.

Gabby Thomas on the harsh reality of track

Gabby Thomas competes in the women's 4x400m at The Olympic Games-Paris 2024 - Source: Getty

Gabby Thomas spoke about the harsh reality of being a track athlete without sponsorships on the 'Networth & Chill' podcast. The American athlete expressed how she approximately invested somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000 to train for the Tokyo Olympics and it wouldn't have been possible without a sponsorship deal.

Moreover, she shed light on how track doesn't have a league like other sports like basketball which makes it even more difficult for athletes to sustain.

"At the professional level, that journey to my first Olympics in Tokyo, I had to invest somewhere between 50,000 to 100,000 dollars. You have to pay the coach, you have to pay your agent, you have to pay for your travel to meets, massage therapists, access to weight lifting facility. Thankfully, I had sponsors by the time that I graduated. Once you're a professional runner there is no league that you are going into where you get a salary," she said.

Furthermore, she expressed her desire to witness the sport grow in the coming years which will eventually have a positive impact on the athletes.