American Gabby Thomas (above) won her first Olympic gold medal Tuesday in the women’s 200-meter sprint, solidifying her rising stardom on and off the track.

Thomas defeated silver medalist Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred—who won gold in the 100-meter sprint—and fellow American Brittany Brown, who earned bronze. 

This marks new territory for Thomas, 27, who took home bronze in the 200-meter race at the Tokyo Olympics, and a silver medal as part of Team USA’s 4×100-meter relay squad. That relay team, which includes 100-meter sprint silver medalist Sha’Carri Richardson, will look for another medal in Paris later this week.

Not Slowing Down

Now entering the peak of her athletic career, Thomas is winning big after already making a significant difference in her sport. She helped Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian come up with the idea for a new women’s-only track and field event, the 776 Invitational, which will debut in September.

At that upcoming track meet, all participants will take home prize money, with $60,000 for the winner, $25,000 for the runner-up, $10,000 for third, $8,000 for fourth, $5,000 for fifth, and $2,500 for sixth. Compare that with the Diamond League, track and field’s premier professional competition, which typically pays $10,000 to race winners and $30,000 at its season-ending event.

Thomas earns $50,000 from World Athletics for her gold medal in Paris, and another $37,500 from Team USA.

Brand Building

New Balance has sponsored Thomas since 2018, after she graduated from Harvard with a degree in neurobiology. As a professional, she moved to Austin, and last year completed a master’s degree in epidemiology from the University of Texas.

Since the Olympics began, Thomas has been capitalizing on her growing social media presence. With more than 500,000 followers on Instagram, Thomas has posted ads from Paris for skincare brand Summer Fridays, as well as Omega watches.

A look at the top of the Olympic medal tally shows the usual suspects like the U.S., China, and France racking up dozens of medals. But many countries struggle to win even a single medal, which makes success all the more prestigious and celebrated. 

Several countries offer a monetary reward for athletes that’s much more than the $37,500 that American gold medalists receive. Hong Kong, which has four gold medals in its history, offers a $768,000 bonus for a gold medalist, and many other countries with single-digit gold-medal tallies offer six-figure prizes.

Different Kinds of Rewards

But there are some countries that offer more than just a financial incentive to their new national heroes.

Take for instance Carlos Yulo (above), the Filipino gymnast who secured two gold medals in floor and vault. The Philippines had won just one gold medal in its 100-year history in the Olympics before Yulo’s Paris run, so on top of around $100,000 in cash, he was rewarded with a house and lot, a two-bedroom condominium, around $18,000 worth of furniture, a lifetime supply of cookies, and free meals for life from several local restaurant chains including a Korean fried chicken franchise and ramen bar.

A buffet of prizes isn’t new to the Olympics. Other countries like Iraq and Austria have rewarded Olympians with land or real estate. Malaysian athletes who win any medal receive cars. In 2021, Indonesia’s badminton gold medalists received five cows and a meatball restaurant.

Perhaps the most serious of prizes is for young South Korean males. Most South Korean men serve 18–21 months of compulsory military service, but an Olympic medal winner will receive an exemption. Tom Kim, a 22-year-old golfer, nearly secured the exemption Sunday, finishing in eighth, four shots back of a bronze medal.

There are also countries like the U.K., Norway, and Sweden where the government doesn’t directly provide any monetary reward to athletes for participating or winning a medal.