“Less than what elite footballers get a week” ; “Half-day’s pay for Giannis” - Fans react to reports of Noah Lyles and Julien Alfred's season earnings

Noah Lyles and Julien Alfred are the reigning 100m Olympic Champions, and both of the sprinters have had an extraordinary 2024. Recently, the duo's estimated earnings from the prize money they received this season were made public, which left fans disappointed at the relatively small figures.

For Lyles, his season began on a high note as he claimed silver at the World Indoor Championships on his debut appearance at the event. From there, he went on to clinch the 100m Olympic title in a tight showdown against Jamaica's Kishane Thompson and he settled for a bronze in the 200m, after being diagnosed with COVID-19 prior to the race.

Alfred has been just as impressive this year, starting with a gold at the World Indoor Championships. The Saint Lucian also walked away with two medals from the Paris Olympics, clinching a gold in the 100m and a silver in the 200m.

A fan account on X recently compiled a list of the two sprinter's earnings in prize money for their season, with Lyles's total supposedly coming up to $127,800 USD, and Alfred's earnings totaling $154,600 USD.

Reacting to this news, fans were left disappointed at the small figures the two Olympic champions earned this season. On X user pointed out the pay disparity between a sport like basketball and track and field, writing,

“Half-day's pay for Giannis (Antetokounmpo).”

Another fan made a similar comment, saying,

“Less than an elite footballer gets a week.”

Here is how other internet users reacted to the reports of Noah Lyles and Julien Alfred's earnings for 2024.

“Looks like one can’t be a millionaire sportstar doing track 😭😭😭😭 If Elite level pay is so bad, all amateurs are going to either get a day job or rich parents,” one fan wrote.

“EPL players are looking at these figures, and basically laughing 😅 They make more in a week than what athletes make in a season. Interesting,” another added.

“This is not very inspiring. To be the fastest in the world and not have pulled in 200k. You can work a tech job and make more,” an X user commented.

“Man, that’s it. If I had Noah Lyles’ speed, I’d bulk up a little and make a NFL football roster, and make the NFL. Minimum a million,” another fan joked.

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Noah Lyles on disclosing his Adidas contract’s worth

While Noah Lyles' may not have earned a lot when it comes to the prize money he received for competing, the World Champion does generate impressive amounts of revenue away from the track, credit to brand deals.

In 2024, the American extended his contract with Adidas, and the deal was reportedly the richest track contract since Usain Bolt‘s retirement in 2017. While the number wasn't officially made public, Lyles did hint it was a big sum, telling LETSRUN.com he wished he could tell fans the exact amount.

“I definitely wish we were able to say how much it was. In fact, somebody made a tweet and they were doing some math off of the $20 million that is assumed that Bolt made in 2017. And I’m not gonna lie, there was a number in there that was very, very close to the real thing. And I was just like, dang. I wish I could just at that moment actually say what it was.”

Outside of his contract with Adidas, Noah Lyles has signed with multiple brands, with Celsius Energy Drink being his most recent signing.