What can Team GB stars hope to earn after Olympic medals?

Standing on the Olympic podium, medal in hand, is the pinnacle of an athlete’s career. Years of gruelling training, determination and sacrifice have led to this moment. Everything has paid off – potentially in more ways than one.

In the UK, there’s often not huge money in sport itself, unless you’re playing at the top levels of football. There is, however, money to be made from advertising and sponsorship.

And this helps to incentivise sports participation, especially if your chosen discipline feels “a bit forgotten”, as one Team GB gold medallist tells the BBC.

So, how much money could an Olympic medal translate into for GB’s stars?

Claire Bowden-Hughes, founder and director of En2End sports events agency, says winning any Olympic medal “significantly enhances an athlete’s marketability”, making them more attractive to global brands.

This can lead to substantial earnings through sponsorships and endorsements.

High-profile athletes like GB sprinter Dina Asher–Smith, who has won Olympic medals in Rio, Tokyo and Paris, plus a host of others at World and European Championships – “can earn anything between £1m to £10m annually from endorsement deals,” Bowden-Hughes says. “For instance, her deals with Nike, Hublot, and Müller are highly lucrative.”

Cyclist Emma Finucane looks set to become one of the biggest British names to emerge from the Paris Games. The 21-year-old was part of the team that set a new world record as they took gold in the women’s team sprint. She went on to bag herself a bronze in the keirin and on Sunday hopes to go for gold again.

Finucane “has the potential to earn significant income given her recent successes and high visibility”, says Bowden-Hughes.

Another gold would mean “her marketability will skyrocket” and “she could potentially earn anything between £1m to £3m annually from various brand deals and endorsements”, she predicts.

And it doesn’t have to be a gold. A medal of any metal will do, the experts say.

While a bronze medallist who is not yet a huge household name may not earn as much as a gold medallist, substantial sums of between £10,000 to £50,000 per year can still be on the table, Bowden-Hughes suggests.

She cites the example of diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix – daughter of First Dates star Fred Sirieix – who claimed bronze with her partner in the women’s synchronised 10m platform contest.