Imagine winning a medal at the Olympics. Fame and riches would await you, as you have etched your name in history. But not so fast.
As the US once again topped the medal tally with late medals on day 16 snatching the top spot on the ladder with 39 gold to China’s 38, America brought home 113 medals, with 41 silver and 33 bronze to go with their gold haul.
But while a golden haul is expected from the US, it’s not all great for US athletes.
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Monica Aksamit, a 2016 fencing bronze medallist, posted a video on TikTok showing what other countries pay their medallists compared to the United States.
The video has been shared more than 24,000 times and has more than 21 million views.
At the Tokyo Olympics, American athletes are getting $37,500 for each gold medal, $22,500 for each silver medal and $15,000 for each bronze medal, according to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
That is a 50 per cent increase from the 2016 Rio Games.
But it also pales in comparison to other nations around the world.
Singapore gives gold medallists approximately $737,000, silver medallists $369,000 and bronze medallists $184,000, The Singapore National Olympic Council wrote.
Kazakhstan and Malaysia gives their gold medallists around $250,000, while Japan gives their winners much less: $45,000 for gold, $18,000 for silver and $9,000 for bronze.
While top athletes have sponsors, many competitors in lesser-known sports struggle to make a living. Aksamit told The Post in 2019 that she needed to raise $21,000 to fund her path to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
At the time, Aksamit – who was raised by her single mother in Matawan, New Jersey after being born in New York City – was only receiving a $300 monthly stipend from the U.S. Olympic Committee, and the 31-year-old struggled to pay for her commute to the Manhattan Fencing Center on West 37th Street for practice.
“I’m embarrassed by [the fundraising], but there isn’t anything else I can be doing. Most part-time jobs are physical. Waiting tables, you are on your feet all day long and then you’re too tired to train,” Aksamit said. “I have applied for a few part-time jobs [in retail] and been honest about my schedule. They always say, ‘Yeah we are interested in someone who has more availability.’”
During the Tokyo Games, Aksamit also revealed she is paid $300 a month from the USOPC.
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