Richest runners

Running was at first considered a poor man’s sport, it did not have the glitter of baseball, football and basketball.  Some runners especially the Africans, didn’t even have shoes and ran barefooted, remember Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila?  Still Bikila became back- to-back champion in the Olympics.  Why are Kenyans so good in long distance running? Well, in some villages in Kenya , kids as young as five years old, ran to the next village, which is probably about  five to six kilometers, to attend school.  That’s 12 kilometers  a day.  One of the country’s legendary marathoner, Jimmy Dela Torre, ran 20 kilometers to and from school because he didn’t have fare money.   But things have changed.  This barefoot runners have become millionaires.  Let’s take a peep on the world’s richest runners.  Top of the women’s list is Caster Semanya of South Africa.  Semanya is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 800 meters and also won three World Athletics Championship and is currently worth $ 14 million.

2nd Jenny Simpson (USA) former American record  holder in the 3,000 and represented  in three Olympics (2008,2012 and 2016, she is worth  $10 million 

3rd Dina Asher Smith ($8.5 million U.K).  Fastest British runner who won gold in the 4x400m relay in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

4th Allyson Felix ($7.4 million, USA) retired American sprinter who participated in five Olympic Games and has won 11 medals from 12 finals, missing out in the 100m final in the 2012  London Olympics.

5th Sifan Hassan ($6million) Ethiopian- born Dutch long distance runner who won gold medals in the 5000m and 10,000m and a bronze in the 1,500  in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

6th Shelley Ann Fraser-Pryce) ($5.5 million Jamaica. Regarded as the greatest woman sprinter of all time, won gold  in 2008 and 2012 Olympics and a silver  in 2020.  She also won the gold in he World Championship in Eugene Oregon recently.

7th Shalane Flanagan ($5.3 million, USA) New York City Marathon champion and first American to win since 1977.  She’s a silver medalist in 2008 Olympis in the 10,000m and is a four-time Olympian (2004,2008,2012 and 2016).

8th Sara Hall ($5million, USA) is American half-marathon holder when she won in 1:07:15 in the Houston-Half Marathon this year.

9th Elaine Thompson Herah ($4.6 million, Ethiopia)is a five-time Olympic champion and is considered the fastest woman over 100m. She won the gold recently in the World Championship in Oregon and is a silver medalist in the Olympics.

10th Laura Muir ($3.1million, Great Britain) is a Scottish runner who won the silver in the Tokyo Olympics and also won the bronze in 1,500m in the World Championship in Oregon.

Five richest  male runners

1. Usian Bolt ($90 million- Jamaica)

2. Tyson Gay ($15million,USA)

3. Asafa Powell ($6.9 million, Jamaica)

4. Yohan Blake ($6.5 million, Jamaica)

5. Mo Farah ($6 million,UK)

Hasta La Vista Mulong

One of the country’s top marathoners Romulo Manara died recently of a heart attack.  Mulong was a member of the Puma Running  Club and was enlisted  the Army.  His teammates included Edgardo Pedregoza and Hernan Pineda.  Hast La Vista Mulong,Run In Peace (RIP)

Flash: Filipino EJ Obiena defeated Olympic and world Champion Arman Duplantis and Olympic silver medalist Christopher Nilsen in the  pole vault in the Diamond League in Brussels.  Obiena vaulted to 5.91m while Duplantis and Nilsen soared to 5.81 and 5.71 respectivey.