đ„ She Won Olympic Gold for the U.S. â Then Made $12 an Hour
At 20 years old, Lauryn Williams was living what many Americans think is the ultimate dream.
She was an Olympic gold medalist.
A Nike-sponsored star.
Making $200,000 a year before most people finish college.
By 30, she was an intern earning $12 an hour.
Williams isnât just another former athlete â sheâs a historic one. She became the first American woman ever to win medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympics, excelling in track and bobsled. On paper, her rĂ©sumĂ© looked untouchable.
In reality, the money â and the opportunities â dried up fast.
âThereâs this idea that once you do something historic, the speaking gigs just never stop,â Williams said. âThatâs not true. I get things here or there, but I canât make a living from it.â
When she made Olympic history, the headlines followed â but the sponsorships didnât. In the very year she achieved what no American woman ever had, Williams earned just $80,000.
Behind the scenes, her $200,000 Nike deal wasnât what it looked like. Her agent took 20%, taxes took another chunk, and the remaining money had to stretch across a career that wouldnât last forever.
âThe money doesnât go quite as far as people think,â she said. âIt was good for a 20-year-old â but not enough to retire on.â
By the time Williams retired from elite competition, reality hit hard.
At 30, while friends were already doctors, lawyers, and executives, she was starting from zero in the corporate world â with no office experience, no professional network, and plenty of self-doubt.
âI spent all of my 20s competing,â she said. âI felt behind. Insecure.â
In 2013, she took an internship at a financial advisory firm – after initially being rejected. The owner changed his mind only after learning her story: Olympic greatness, followed by financial uncertainty.
Ironically, it was bad financial advice during her athletic career that pushed her toward her second act. Williams realized that even elite success can disappear without planning and she wanted to help others avoid the same fate.
Her story shatters a powerful myth in American sports culture:
That Olympic glory guarantees lifelong wealth.
It doesnât.
Medals fade. Endorsements end. Careers are short. And without the right support, even champions can find themselves rebuilding from scratch.
Lauryn Williams didnât just learn how fast you can run toward greatness â
She learned how quickly it can run away.
And her story is forcing the sports world to ask an uncomfortable question:
đ If Olympic champions arenât financially secure⊠who is?
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