Athletics is undoubtedly one of the most challenging sporting professions globally, requiring constant practice, endurance and techniques. Given performance and marketability are directly tied to revenue potential, we look at a few ways track and field athletes earn.

There are four main ways in which athletes earn a living while in athletics which are: Appearance Fees, Placement payout or Prize Money, Endorsements and Records.

Appearance fees

Appearance fees refer to money paid to athletes to compete at their respective events, irrespective of where they finish. This is how a large number of athletes earn by accumulation of competition fees which varies on the event and athlete and can range from $800-15,000 per event.

The athletes’ status allows them to command a higher appearance fee than the average competitor based on their expected crowd and media pull.

Placements payout

Each event has a pot or a total of prize money allotted. The distribution of the money is governed by the placement of each athlete at the end of the competition. For Instance, the total pay for a 100m event could be $28,000, with eighth place allotted a minimum of $600 and first place banking the maximum of $10,000.

The Prize earnings and appearance fees vary based on the category of meets such as Diamond League which may pay more compared to an Invitational.

Championships

Apart from the pride associated with representing one’s country, an athlete’s earning potential via placements significantly jumps during major global championships such as the Olympic Games, World Champs, Commonwealth Games, etc.

While the ultimate aim is to earn a top-three podium finish, the money associated with placements provides an additional incentive to reward performances.

Medalists at last year’s World Championship in Budapest earned $22,000-$70,000, with prize money trickling down to $5,000 for eighth in the finals from the overall $8.498 million pool budgeted for the championships.

World records

Being immortalised among the greatest in an event via world record is the zenith of aspiration for most, if not all athletes. This is typically enough motivation to fuel performance to attain that mark. However, as a bonus, they are paid large cash rewards for setting a new mark in the sport.

Last year, World Athletics announced a $ 100,000 reward for breaking a world record at the Championships in Budapest, Inside the Games reports. Thus, each time Usain Bolt or Asafa Powell lowered a world record, they earned a big bonus with their prize money for the win.

Endorsements

The largest source of revenue in athletics, like other sports, is endorsement deals. Track and Field athletes earn their biggest portion of revenue via sponsorship. However, such deals are reserved for elite-level athletes who command the social clout to promote their respective brands.

Similar to tennis, track athletes who have yet to gain deals rely mainly on winnings and appearance fees to continue in the sport.