Most athletes train for years to reach the Olympics, but competing at an elite level doesn’t always come with elite pay. Some U.S. Olympians must also hold down a job to help fund the years of training required to compete on the world’s biggest stage.
Some athletes competing in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games, including Americans vying for gold in their respective sports, will return home to jobs as attorneys, baristas, realtors, dentists and other types of professionals.
The balancing act reflects the financial challenges faced by some Olympic athletes even after reaching the pinnacle of athletic performance. While some of the best-known athletes earn millions from sponsorships and other lucrative deals, they are the exception, rather than the norm.
American curler Korey Dropkin and his mixed doubles curling partner, Cory Thiesse, both of Duluth, Minnesota, won silver medals in mixed doubles curling at the 2026 Olympics. Before the games began, Dropkin told local news station KARE 11 that he balances curling with a full-time career as a local realtor.
“I have two full-time jobs. One is curling … my other job is a realtor,” he told the outlet.
In addition to holding the title of an Olympic silver medalist, Thiesse also has another title: wastewater tester. “I feel grateful that I have a job that pays the bills while I go compete in curling,” Thiesse told KARE 11.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) told CBS News in a statement last week that “a significant proportion of Winter Olympic athletes” balance elite training with academic and professional pursuits.
Athletes from other countries also hold second jobs to support their athletic careers. For example, the IOC highlighted Mexico’s Regina Martínez, the country’s first Olympic cross-country skier, who works as a Miami, Florida-based emergency room doctor. Martinez said she also walked dogs to finance her Olympic journey, according to a social media video.
The IOC does not award Olympians prize money, even when they make the podium. Countries’ national Olympic bodies do offer incentives, though, including cash bonuses. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee awards athletes $37,500 for a gold medal, $22,500 for a silver medal, and $15,000 for a bronze medal.
This year, Ross Stevens, CEO of Stone Ridge Holdings Group, pledged to give every U.S. Olympian $200,000 in financial benefits for each Olympics in which they compete.
