Posted on Aug 16, 2016
So you just won a gold medal? Welcome to the rest of your life.
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Most Olympians train their entire childhoods in sweat-filled bubbles for records, for glory, for a shiny chunk of circular hardware.
Their level of discipline and commitment, starting as early as elementary school or earlier, is staggering. But what happens after the podium and the anthem? Especially if your sport doesn’t earn prime-time real estate and remains amateur in status?
There’s nowhere to graduate to after you earn a medal in shot put or badminton. And the financial remuneration? Thin, to put it mildly. Cyrus Hostetler, a two-time Olympic javelin thrower, says that the most he has netted annually from the sport is about $3,000.
@SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas , Capt Christopher Mueller , CPT (Join to see) , COL Mikel J. Burroughs , Sgt Joe LaBranche , SSgt (Join to see), TSgt Hunter Logan Capt Seid Waddell SrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F. PO2 Ed C. PO2 Mark Saffell MSG Tom Earley PVT James Strait Alan K. @po1 william "chip" PO1 William "Chip" Nagel @SGT John McConnell SGT John " Mac " McConnell, LTC Stephen C., @sgt robert george SGT Robert George
Their level of discipline and commitment, starting as early as elementary school or earlier, is staggering. But what happens after the podium and the anthem? Especially if your sport doesn’t earn prime-time real estate and remains amateur in status?
There’s nowhere to graduate to after you earn a medal in shot put or badminton. And the financial remuneration? Thin, to put it mildly. Cyrus Hostetler, a two-time Olympic javelin thrower, says that the most he has netted annually from the sport is about $3,000.
@SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas , Capt Christopher Mueller , CPT (Join to see) , COL Mikel J. Burroughs , Sgt Joe LaBranche , SSgt (Join to see), TSgt Hunter Logan Capt Seid Waddell SrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F. PO2 Ed C. PO2 Mark Saffell MSG Tom Earley PVT James Strait Alan K. @po1 william "chip" PO1 William "Chip" Nagel @SGT John McConnell SGT John " Mac " McConnell, LTC Stephen C., @sgt robert george SGT Robert George
So you just won a gold medal? Welcome to the rest of your life.
Posted from washingtonpost.com
Olympics
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Posted >1 y ago
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Thanks for reminding us that many Olympians peak when they achieve an Olympic gold medal SP5 Mark Kuzinski Others go on to lucrative careers and many get significant contracts for advertising sports related products especially figure skaters, skiers, gymnasts and hockey players.
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