Jamaican track and field superstar Usain Bolt, despite retiring from the sport in August, has been listed on the Forbes’ Rich List of the top 100 earning international athletes as the 23rd highest earning athlete.
Bolt earnings of US$34.2 million which span June 1, 2016 through June 1, 2017, include salaries, bonuses, prize money, endorsements, licensing and appearance fees earned by the athlete.
The figures are all calculated before taxes and related fees are taken into account, with Forbes estimating the total worth.
Biggest deal with Puma
Bolt’s biggest deal is with Puma, which pays him more than US$10 million annually. He also added Mumm, XM, Kinder, Advil and Sprint to his endorsement portfolio over the last 12 months. Plus, Bolt is an investor and performer in the new annual Nitro Athletics track and field series that launched in 2017.
Top earner is Ronaldo
The top spot for the highest earning athlete is held by Portugal and Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo who earned $95 million.
Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James ($86.2m) is second with Barcelona maestro Lionel Messi ($80m) in third.
Tennis great Roger Federer ($64m) and NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant ($60.6m) round of the top 5.
Rounding out the top 10 are Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck ($50m), golfer Rory McIlroy ($50m), Golden State Warriors sharp shooter Stephen Curry ($47.3m), Houston Rockets point guard James Harden ($46.6m) and Mercedes driver and Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton ($46m).
US tennis star Serena Williams is the highest ranked female athlete at joint 51st with earnings of $27 million.
Usain Bolt is the only Caribbean athlete included on the list of top 100 athlete earners.
For recent article on Usain Bolt, click the link: Jamaicans react to Trump’s Bolt reference
