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Team USA has been cashing in at the first Olympics with a new financial incentive for track and field athletes—and they may not be done yet.
In Paris, governing body World Athletics is handing out a total of $2.4 million to winners of the 48 track and field events. That’s $50,000 per gold medal. As events concluded Thursday, U.S. Olympians had won nine gold medals in athletics—including various sprints, distance runs, and a hurdle, as well as a long jump, discus throw, and shot put. At the Tokyo Olympics, the U.S. won seven gold medals in athletics.
On Friday and Saturday, Team USA is favored to win gold medals in even more track and field events like the men’s 4×400-meter relay and the women’s 4×100-meter relay. Gold-medal-winning relay teams split the $50,000 that World Athletics awards them.
Plenty to Go Around
The U.S. stars with the greatest earning potential off the track have been Gabby Thomas (above), who won her first Olympic gold medal in the women’s 200-meter sprint, and Noah Lyles, who won the men’s 100-meter sprint and then bronze in the men’s 200 meters despite testing positive for COVID-19.
Overall, Team USA has won 27 medals in track and field events, already more than the 26 from Tokyo. Separately from the World Athletics monetary bonuses, the U.S. pays all of its Olympians $37,500 for gold medals, $22,500 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze.
