Sydney McLaughlin estimated to become one of the highest paid runners in the world

Let's Run has released their best estimates of professional track and field athlete's salaries

Madeleine Kelly September 7, 2018

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmhJwCxBIYc/?hl=en&taken-by=sydneymclaughlin16

Let’s Run has released their best estimates of professional track and field athlete’s salaries. The report was released Friday, and uses the expertise of five of the world’s top track and field agents to estimate what well known professional runners would receive for income. Let’s Run examined the salaries to shed some light on the earnings of track and field athletes, as most endorsement contracts are kept private. While these are not exact figures, they’re educated guesses as to what these athletes are making.

One of the most notable findings is that 19-year-old sprinter, Sydney McLaughlin is estimated to be one of the highest earners in track and field. McLaughlin burst onto the scene in 2016 when she qualified for the Rio Olympics as a 16-year-old high school student. The 400m hurdler now has nearly 300,000 Instagram followers and a looming professional contract.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnYFyusCn8t/?hl=en&taken-by=kipchogeeliud

McLaughlin graduated high school in 2017 and started at the University of Kentucky last fall. Many running fans were surprised at the hurdler’s decision to go to school as opposed to turning pro right out of the gate, but her first year in the NCAA was very successful. The freshman managed to set the collegiate outdoor record and world junior record in the 400m hurdles, running 52.75, and a world junior record in the indoor 400m of 50.36.

While McLaughlin still hadn’t officially signed a contract, Let’s Run reports that, “McLaughlin generated the highest contract estimates of any athlete by far. Five of the six responses we received estimated McLaughlin would receive at least $1.5 million for her 2019 base salary.”

This puts the 19-year-old ahead of big running names like Galen Rupp, Jenny Simpson and Eliud Kipchoge. Rupp was estimated to earn $758,333 USD, Simpson at $591,666 USD, and Kipchoge at $512,500 USD.

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