Usain Bolt seventh highest paid through endorsements

Jamaican sprint sensation Usain Bolt was pegged at number seven in 2013 on a list of the highest paid athletes by endorsements.

The six-time Olympic gold medalist was paid $24 million USD in 2013 as endorsement deals, the largest being with Puma and Gatorade.

Relative to other high-profile professional athletes on the list, Bolt doesn’t earn very much through winnings and appearance fees, so he makes up for it through huge endorsement contacts. His largest sponsor, Puma, paid him $9 million USD in 2013 to wear their gear. He will be making $10 million USD from them in 2014. The athlete also has endorsement deals with Gatorade, Visa, Samsung and Comcast. He also picks up some pocket change through record bonuses in his contracts.

The athletes with the largest endorsement deals in the world in 2013 were golfer Tiger Woods and tennis player Roger Federer, both bringing in $65 million USD from their contracts. The other athletes ranked above the Jamaican were golfer Phil Mickelson, basketball players LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, and cricket player Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

In related news, American 800m Olympian Nick Symmonds did not renew his contract with Nike for 2014, instead signing with Brooks. Symmonds in 2013 was outspoken about shoe companies shortchanging runners on contracts and has moved to Brooks because he believes they offer better opportunities for their athletes. The details of his previous Nike contract or current Brooks contract are unclear.