Track and Field's Biggest Paycheck Ever

Imagine running one race and walking away richer than almost any athlete in the history of your sport. That is exactly what happened this month at a brand new championship built entirely around one simple idea: pay the winners like real stars.

Zamisli da otrčiš jednu utrku i odeš kući bogatiji od gotovo svakog sportaša u povijesti svog sporta. Upravo se to ovog mjeseca dogodilo na posve novom prvenstvu sagrađenom oko jedne jednostavne ideje: plati pobjednike kao prave zvijezde.

The event brought together the best track and field athletes in the world for just a few days of racing, but the prize fund was unlike anything the sport had seen before, worth about ten million dollars in total. A single event winner could take home an amount many athletes previously earned across several seasons combined.

Natjecanje je na samo nekoliko dana trka okupilo najbolje atletičare na svijetu, ali nagradni fond bio je nešto što taj sport nikada prije nije vidio, ukupno vrijedan oko deset milijuna dolara. Pobjednik jedne discipline mogao je kući odnijeti iznos koji su mnogi atletičari prije zarađivali kroz nekoliko sezona zajedno.

Supporters say paying athletes this well finally treats track and field like the major sport it is. Critics wonder if it will actually change anything long term. Either way, for a few days in September, sprinters and throwers were suddenly some of the highest paid athletes in the world.

Zagovornici kažu da ovakve nagrade konačno tretiraju atletiku kao veliki sport kakav i jest. Kritičari se pitaju hoće li se dugoročno išta stvarno promijeniti. Kako god bilo, nekoliko dana u rujnu sprinteri i bacači odjednom su bili među najplaćenijim sportašima na svijetu.