Nearly $21 million (USD) in prize money and bonuses was awarded in international track & field competitions in 2004, The TRACK PROFILE Report's third annual prize money survey revealed. Olympic triple jump champion Christian Olsson of Sweden and Bahamian Tonique Williams-Darling, the Olympic 400 meter champion, who shared the one million dollar TDK Golden League Jackpot after winning their respective events at each of the six Golden League competitions, topped the men,s and women,s tallies. The 25-year-old Olsson's winnings totaled at least $644,660, while those of Williams- Darling reached $571,950 in prize money earnings.

The IAAF athletes of the year, Olympic 10,000 meter champion Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia and Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia, were the runners-up, earning $162,922 and $374,250, respectively. For Bekele, the figures do not include substantial rewards he claimed in cross country competition. For Isinbayeva, who set eight world records last year, the figures include bonuses reported for five of those world records.

World indoor 60 meter hurdles champion Allen Johnson was third in the men,s compilation, with winnings of at least $145,740. Bernard Lagat of Kenya, the Olympic silver medallist in the 1500 meters, was fourth ($137,270), with Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell fifth ($129,820). Rounding out the women,s top-five are Russian Tatyana Lebedeva ($210,306), the world indoor long jump/triple jump champion and Olympic champion in the long jump; South African high jumper Hestrie Cloete ($173,545); and Yelena Slesarenko, also from Russia, the Olympic and world indoor high jump champion ($136,040).

Prize money data was received directly from event organizers and media liaisons and athlete representatives. Publicly available performance incentive bonuses, meet, world and other record bonuses are also included if reported.

Despite winning a reported $411,000 in world record bonuses, women still earned slightly less than men. Based on data received from 57 international competitions, 1,304 men from 91 countries claimed $10,782,188 in prize money, while 1,078 women from 87 countries won $9,795,384. 10 women and nine men won at least $100,000, while 19 women and 17 men reached the $75,000 mark. 48 men and 39 women earned $50,000 or more, while 110 men and 104 women won at least $25,000.

Comparing with previous years, the reported totals in 2004 remained roughly on par with those in 2003. The higher total of $26.1 reported in 2003 was largely due to additional big money competitions held that year, including the IAAF World Championships outdoors and the big payday provided by the million dollar Moscow Challenge. A primary difference this year, is that the prize money in 2004 was distributed among more athletes. With 2004 an Olympic season, many athletes chose to compete less, resulting in less concentration of prize money among the top-earning athletes. In 2003, 46 athletes earned more than $100,000 in prize money compared to the 19 in 2004.

While the tally doesn't include confidentially negotiated appearance fees and related incentives and bonuses --the "real" money earned by many of the sport's top stars-- the data provides a glimpse into the prize money available in international track & field to the majority of athletes who cannot rely upon substantial appearance fees, large endorsements or sponsorship arrangements. This survey includes only stadia events; hundreds of road events, marathons and cross country races offer substantial prize money and incentives to distance runners, figures that are not included in the tallies here. Prize money for race walking events is also not included. Additionally, dozens of national federations provide support funds and domestic financial incentives that are not included in these figures.

Among competitions, the IAAF World Athletics Final produced the biggest payout, with nearly $2.93 million in prize money awarded, while more than $2.6 million was awarded at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Budapest. The largest single-day meet payout came at the Weltklasse Golden League meet in Zurich, where $932,573 in prize and bonus money was awarded. The Gaz de France Golden League competition in Paris was next, with $760,276 reported. The third highest single-day payout came at the Van Damme Memorial Golden League event in Brussels, with $742,374 in prizes and bonuses reported.

Each of the six Golden League meets provided more than $600,000 in total prize money. The only other meet to surpass the $600,000 mark was the Golden Spike Super Grand Prix in Ostrava, Czech Republic, where $611,180 in prize and bonus awards was reported. In all, 13 meets paid more than half a million dollars in prize money.

More detailed information, along with a top-50 ranking will appear in the forthcoming, TRACK PROFILE Reader 2005, available in early April.

Top 20 Prize Winners

[Figures in $US. Awards in other currencies were converted at the prevailing exchange rate on the date of competition.]

MEN

1. Christian Olsson, SWE $644,660
2. Kenenisa Bekele, ETH 162,922
3. Allen Johnson, USA 145,740
4. Bernard Lagat, KEN 137,270
5. Asafa Powell, JAM 129,820
6. Saif Saaeed Shaheen, QAT 129,542
7. Ivan Heshko, UKR 125,876
8. Paul Korir, KEN 122,800
9. Wilfred Bungei, KEN 105,216
10. Felix Sanchez, DOM 97,720
11. William Yiampoy, KEN 96,546
12. Alleyne Francique, GRN 94,166
13. Stefan Holm, SWE 92,360
14. Alex Kipchirchir, KEN 90,036
15. Youssef Saad Kamel, BRN 88,664
16. Joseph Mutua, KEN 82,540
17. Francis OBIKWELU, POR 82,355
18. Shawn Crawford, USA 73,650
19. Jadel Gregorio, BRA 72,824
20. Roman Sebrle, CZE 70,650

WOMEN

1. Tonique Williams-Darling, BAH $571,950
2. Yelena Isinbayeva, RUS 374,250
3. Tatyana Lebedeva, RUS 210,306
4. Hestrie Cloete, RSA 173,545
5. Yelena Slesarenko, RUS 136,040
6. Kelly Holmes, GBR 125,812
7. Debbie Ferguson, BAH 117,054
8. Aleen Bailey, JAM 113,330
9. Elvan Abeylegesse, TUR 111,150
10. Perdita Felicien, CAN 106,070
11. Stacy Dragila, USA 96,820
12. Veronica Campbell, JAM 91,300
13. Maria Mutola, MOZ 90,478
14. Blanka Vlasic, CRO 87,555
15. Gail Devers, USA 86,150
16. Yelena Zadorozhnaya, RUS 83,191
17. Meseret Defar, ETH 81,405
18. Viktoriya Styopina, UKR 78,175
19. Christine Arron, FRA 75,160
20. Ionela Tirlea-Manolache, ROM 71,317

*In certain cases, athletes are paid an appearance fee in lieu of potential prize money, while in some cases, they receive both. Those instances are not reported; figures in this compilation are based solely on prize money structures and should be considered approximations and in no way represent the annual total earnings of any athlete listed.