Track and field, which used to get tagged as a “dying” sport (thanks, Noah Nyles), is making a serious comeback. Yeah, it had its financial struggles, but things have been turning around, especially in the last few years. At the 2024 Olympics, we saw a huge shift—track and field became the first sport to introduce prize money, with World Athletics paying $50,000 to gold medalists. And in relay races, they even split the money between the teams! That’s a big win for the athletes, right?

And it doesn’t stop there. The Diamond League has also been a game-changer. Athletes who finish first get $10,000 per meet, second place gets $6,000, and third takes home $3,500. Not bad for those top athletes, huh? With all that cash up for grabs, it’s no surprise that stars like Noah Lyles, Julien Alfred, and Faith Kipyegon probably racked up some serious earnings in 2024. These athletes have been crushing it, and with all these prize money incentives, they’re definitely at the top of the leaderboard. But now, here’s the question: Who are the top three women in USA track and field who earned the most in 2024?

Gabby Thomas

Gabby Thomas had one heck of a year and one fun ride of big wins and even bigger paydays. She kicked off the New Year with a win in the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, where the competitors faced her in the 300m short track and she got $3000 for the win. Without a doubt, the most important attempts were in the 2024 World Athletics Relays, where, with the 4 × 100m and 4 × 200m, team USA grabbed gold, which probably contained approximately $20,000.

Instead, this track and field star was pumped up even more cash; she went home with an additional $6,000 for winning the 200-meter race during the USATF New York City Grand Prix and an additional $11,000 for winning the US Olympic Trials. Of course, there is still her $10,000, which she took after she easily breezed through the women’s 200m at the Diamond League in London.

Then, Gabby took home three gold medals in the Paris Olympics: the 200m and two in the 4×100m and 4×400 m relay. The money that these wins brought was simply outrageous: $50,000 for the 200-meter race and $12,500 for each of the relays. But she wasn’t done yet. Gabby ended the year with $25,000 after placing second to Brittany Brown in the Athlos NYC event.

Meanwhile, Gabby was also supposed to gain $50,000 per gold from the offer of Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, who were planning to pay $25,000 each to Team USA track athletes who win gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Though this hasn’t been confirmed yet, if she received that bonus, then her total would jump to a whopping $300,000. However, even without the extra cash, Gabby would still finish the year with an impressive $150,000.

Track and field queen of the hurdles Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone had a bit of a delayed start to the 2024 season due to an injury in 2023, but she came back strong. She began competing in April 2024, first participating in a relay event. Shortly after, she made her mark by winning two major USA Track & Field events: the USATF LA Grand Prix in the 200m dash and the USATF New York Grand Prix in the 400m dash. For both events, she won $6,000 each, bringing her total from these two victories to $12,000. She then went to the US Olympic Trials, where she swept the 400m hurdles and additionally, she got an extra $11,000.

And then in the Paris Olympics, she aced it as she claimed two gold medals in 400m hurdles and 4×400 relay. There, she also bettered the world record in the 400m hurdles and received a $50,000 bonus in addition to the $66,500 for the gold medals. Although the amount earned from some other track and field races like the Occidental Invitational and HBCU Pro Classic is not so disclosed, one can imagine that she must have earned something good in all these races. And if we sum up all this prize money, that means she earned $139,500 in 2024.

However, Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson also pledged to award $25000 to the U.S. Olympians for every gold medal they were to win at the Paris Games and $50,000 to any American who broke a world record. According to this, McLaughlin-Levrone should have received $25,000+ $25,000+ $50,000 for her Olympic gold and world record. But whether she received it or not is not clear; thus, it remains ambiguous. But if we include that money too, then she earned a total of $2,39,500 in 2024.

Tara Davis-Woodhall

The 2024 track and field season can be considered legendary for Tara Davis-Woodhall. Of course, it started at the Razorback Invitational, but that was just a warmup; the real show was about to begin. She did not waste any time and bagged one with $7,000 at the New Balance Grand Prix Indoor in Boston. But then came Glasgow, where she completely outperformed everyone to capture the World Athletics Indoor Championships long jump crown and a rather $40,000 cheque.

Tara was on fire when she arrived at the USATF New York City Grand Prix. She leaped 7.14 meters and she cleared that hurdle to bag an extra $ 15,000. Next came the U.S. Olympic Trials to qualify for Paris and earn $11,000 in prize money. However, let’s discuss Paris; that’s where she made more history than anywhere else. In the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tara competed to bag gold in the Women’s Long Jump event and became the winner to support her wallet to the extent of $50,000. And if Shannon Sharpe delivered on the $25,000 for each of the gold medalists, her total has touched the $148,000 mark. If that did not happen, anyway, $123,000 is not bad!

Brittany Brown joins the glittery track and field list

Brittany Brown had her struggles in the 2024 season as everyone does, and that is why the success looks more sweet. She began her 2024 season in March with the relays but no cash was up for grabs there for her. Speaking of the season recap, you must know it was tough at the beginning of the season for her; she attended such important competitions as the Eugene Diamond League and could only manage to win, thus securing 8th place with $500  for participating only.

But then in Oslo—that is when everything started to get better. Brittany timed 22.62 to win the 200m at the Oslo Diamond League and collected $10,000—something she needed to kickstart the momentum she had wanted. Then in the Stockholm Diamond League, she placed third with a reward of $3,500. Even when the event happened at the U.S. Olympic Trials, she was able to secure a second place in the 200m and therefore qualify for Paris.

At the Olympics, she was awarded a bronze in 200m even though there was no money attached to the award. But Brittany wasn’t done yet. She earned $40,000 with victories at the Rome Diamond League Golden Gala and the Diamond League Final in Brussels with $10,000 and $30,000, respectively. The Athlos NYC meet was one of the best games of her season and probably in her entire life. There she won $85,000 by defeating Gabby Thomas in a race. So, the total amount she earned in 2024 is: $139,000

Sha’Carri Richardson

Sha’Carri Richardson is quite picky with track and field events in which she competes, and 2024 was no exception. She started her season in March at the Pepsi Florida Relays, though information on the amount of money that was offered is not accessible to the public. She then moved to Diamond League, where she performed a cocktail of spirited runs. Richardson came second at the Xiamen Diamond League, receiving $ 6,000, and came third in the 200m at the Shanghai Diamond League, where she received $3500. Eugene and Zurich Diamond Leagues were her best performances, for which she earned $29,500 in total.

She also crushed the Olympic trials, where she pocketed $11,000 for her 100-meter feat. She also won silver in the 100m in Paris but because the money for prizes was only given to gold winners, she did not earn from that race. But she was spectacular in the 4 x 100m Olympic relay, where the US team was crowned the winner; that’s where she got her $12,500. Her last meet was at the Brussels Diamond League, where she wanted to sort out her Olympic competitor, Julien Alfred but lost. In total, Richardson won $62,500 in 2024. We hope she earns more track and field races in 2025!