It costs $100000 to be an Olympic runner: Gabby Thomas analyses financial investment professional athletes commit at high levels

Competing at the Olympics and winning medals requires significant financial investment, which Paris Olympics triple champion Gabby Thomas thoroughly analyzed in a recent interview.

As a guest on the Networth and Chill podcast with Vivian Tu, the sprint queen revealed the financial investment her parents committed to qualify for her first Olympics in Tokyo and become a medallist.

"At the professional level, that journey to my first Olympics in Tokyo, they had to invest between $50,000 - $100,000," said Thomas when asked about the cost of being an Olympic runner.

The 28-year-old American track star who won 200m bronze and 4x100m silver medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, further added the specifics of using the money and why being a professional runner is not just about staying fit or running for pleasure.

"You have to pay a coach, you have to pay an agent, you have to pay for your travel to meets, massage therapists, access to a weight lifting facility.

"Thankfully, I had sponsors by the time I graduated. Once you're a professional runner, there's no like league where you're going into where you get a salary," she said.

Thomas is one of the most respected names in the sporting world, not just for her athletic prowess but for her outstanding educational achievements off-track as a medical practitioner that graduated from the prestigious Harvard University.

At the Paris Olympic Games, Thomas was named the undisputed sprint queen after winning three gold medals in the women's 200m, 4x100, and 4x400m, thus making her a five-time Olympic medallist.