|
|
The TRACK PROFILE Prize Money Earnings Database is the exclusive intellectual property of Track Profile and Bob Ramsak and are protected under United States and international copyright laws. All rights reserved. The Earnings Database may not be reproduced in any form without permission of the Track Profile News Service. References to the Earnings Database may not be published or reprinted in any form without proper attribution to the Track Profile News Service. Failure to do so is an infringement of copyright and will be persued as such. For reproduction or republication rights, send an email to bob@trackprofile.com or call TRACK PROFILE at +386.31.490.208. |
Earnings Report NEARLY $21 MILLION IN PRIZE MONEY AWARDED IN TRACK & FIELD IN 2004 Christian Olsson, Tonique Williams-Darling Are Top Prize Money Winners Olympic triple jump champion Christian Olsson of Sweden and Bahamian Tonique Williams-Darling, the Olympic 400 meter champion, who shared the one million dollar TDK Golden League Jackpot after winning their respective events at each of the six Golden League competitions, topped the men’s and women’s tallies. The 25-year-old Olsson's winnings totaled at least $644,660, while those of Williams-Darling reached $571,950 in prize money earnings. The IAAF athletes of the year, Olympic 10,000 meter champion Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia and Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia, were the runners-up, earning $162,922 and $374,250, respectively. For Bekele, the figures do not include substantial rewards he claimed in cross country competition. For Isinbayeva, who set eight world records last year, the figures include bonuses reported for five of those world records. World indoor 60 meter hurdles champion Allen Johnson was third in the men’s compilation, with winnings of at least $145,740. Bernard Lagat of Kenya, the Olympic silver medallist in the 1500 meters, was fourth ($137,270), with Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell fifth ($129,820). Rounding out the women’s top-five are Russian Tatyana Lebedeva ($210,306), the world indoor long jump/triple jump champion and Olympic champion in the long jump; South African high jumper Hestrie Cloete ($173,545); and Yelena Slesarenko, also from Russia, the Olympic and world indoor high jump champion ($136,040). Prize money data was received directly from event organizers and media liaisons and athlete representatives. Publicly available performance incentive bonuses, meet, world and other record bonuses are also included if reported. Despite winning a reported $411,000 in world record bonuses, women still earned slightly less than men. Based on data received from 57 international competitions, 1,304 men from 91 countries claimed $10,782,188 in prize money, while 1,078 women from 87 countries won $9,795,384. 10 women and nine men won at least $100,000, while 19 women and 17 men reached the $75,000 mark. 48 men and 39 women earned $50,000 or more, while 110 men and 104 women won at least $25,000. “The 2004 total figures are roughly on par with 2003’s overall totals,” said TRACK PROFILE REPORT Editor Bob Ramsak, who conducts the annual survey, adding that the higher 2003 total of $26.1 million was largely due to additional big money competitions held that year, including the IAAF World Championships outdoors and the big payday provided by the million dollar Moscow Challenge. “The primary difference is that this time the prize money was distributed among more athletes, about 8% more. 2004 was an Olympic season and many athletes chose to compete less. So there was less concentration of prize money among the top-earning athletes.” In 2003, 46 athletes earned more than $100,000 in prize money compared to the 19 in 2004. While the tally doesn't include confidentially negotiated appearance fees and related incentives and bonuses --the "real" money earned by many of the sport's top stars-- the data provides a glimpse into the prize money available in international track & field to the majority of athletes who cannot rely upon substantial appearance fees, large endorsements or sponsorship arrangements. This survey includes only stadia events; hundreds of road events, marathons and cross country races offer substantial prize money and incentives to distance runners, figures that are not included in the tallies here. Prize money for race walking events is also not included. Additionally, dozens of national federations provide support funds and domestic financial incentives that are not included in these figures. Among competitions, the IAAF World Athletics Final produced the biggest payout, with nearly $2.93 million in prize money awarded, while more than $2.6 million was awarded at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Budapest. The largest single-day meet payout came at the Weltklasse Golden League meet in Zurich, where $932,573 in prize and bonus money was awarded. The Gaz de France Golden League competition in Paris was next, with $760,276 reported. The third highest single-day payout came at the Van Damme Memorial Golden League event in Brussels, with $742,374 in prizes and bonuses reported. “Prize money for four events in Brussels was not included in its prize structure,” Ramsak said, “so it’s possible that the actual total could challenge that of Zurich as the world's richest one-day meet in terms of prize money.” Each of the six Golden League meets provided more than $600,000 in total prize money. The only other meet to surpass the $600,000 mark was the Golden Spike Super Grand Prix in Ostrava, Czech Republic, where $611,180 in prize and bonus awards was reported. In all, 13 meets paid more than half a million dollars in prize money. More detailed information, along with a top-50 ranking will appear in the forthcoming, TRACK PROFILE Reader 2005, available in early April. Top-20 Prize Winners * [Figures in $US. Awards in other currencies were converted at the prevailing exchange rate on the date of competition.] MEN - 1. Christian Olsson, SWE $644,660 2. Kenenisa Bekele, ETH 162,922 3. Allen Johnson, USA 145,740 4. Bernard Lagat, KEN 137,270 5. Asafa Powell, JAM 129,820 6. Saif Saaeed Shaheen, QAT 129,542 7. Ivan Heshko, UKR 125,876 8. Paul Korir, KEN 122,800 9. Wilfred Bungei, KEN 105,216 10. Felix Sánchez, DOM 97,720 11. William Yiampoy, KEN 96,546 12. Alleyne Francique, GRN 94,166 13. Stefan Holm, SWE 92,360 14. Alex Kipchirchir, KEN 90,036 15. Youssef Saad Kamel, BRN 88,664 16. Joseph Mutua, KEN 82,540 17. Francis OBIKWELU, POR 82,355 18. Shawn Crawford, USA 73,650 19. Jadel Gregório, BRA 72,824 20. Roman Sebrle, CZE 70,650 WOMEN - 1. Tonique Williams-Darling, BAH $571,950 2. Yelena Isinbayeva, RUS 374,250 3. Tatyana Lebedeva, RUS 210,306 4. Hestrie Cloete, RSA 173,545 5. Yelena Slesarenko, RUS 136,040 6. Kelly Holmes, GBR 125,812 7. Debbie Ferguson, BAH 117,054 8. Aleen Bailey, JAM 113,330 9. Elvan Abeylegesse, TUR 111,150 10. Perdita Felicien, CAN 106,070 11. Stacy Dragila, USA 96,820 12. Veronica Campbell, JAM 91,300 13. Maria Mutola, MOZ 90,478 14. Blanka Vlasic, CRO 87,555 15. Gail Devers, USA 86,150 16. Yelena Zadorozhnaya, RUS 83,191 17. Meseret Defar, ETH 81,405 18. Viktoriya Styopina, UKR 78,175 19. Christine Arron, FRA 75,160 20. Ionela Tirlea-Manolache, ROM 71,317 *In certain cases, athletes are paid an appearance fee in lieu of potential prize money, while in some cases, they receive both. Those instances are not reported; figures in this compilation are based solely on prize money structures and should be considered approximations and in no way represent the annual total earnings of any athlete listed. TRACK PROFILE Report Prize Money Index
 ... Exclusive Features, Late-Breaking News, Reports From Major Competitions Delivered Directly to Your Digital Inbox... Get Your FREE Trial Subscription to The TRACK PROFILE Report Today!  More about The TRACK PROFILE Report...
|
|
|
TRACK PROFILE News Service | Piran, Slovenia AND Cleveland, Ohio USA | Tel - +386.31.490.208 | Fax - +39.02.954.41.418 | email - bob@trackprofile.com |