Now that the 2024 Summer Games in Paris are behind us, many of the 592 United States athletes are returning to other jobs. Some were lucky enough to earn $37,500 for a gold medal, and some track athletes received big bonuses.
These athletes dedicate themselves to being in top physical form to compete, but going for gold isn’t their only job. Here’s a list of some notable names of Team USA athletes who have other occupations.
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Sport: Canoe sprint
Accomplishments: A gold medalist in 2020 Tokyo Games, silver medalist in 2024 Paris Games
Occupation: Harrison, 22, works a few nights a week at a country-themed bar called Moonshine Beach in San Diego to help pay the bills. While she’s not working or training, she’s a biology major at San Diego State University.
Sport: Swimming
Accomplishments: One gold, two silver medals in 2024 Paris Games
Occupation: Fink juggles being an athlete with a job in the high-stress field of engineering. Fink, 31, holds a master's degree in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Tech. He works remotely at Quanta Utility Engineering Services from home in Dallas, Texas.
Sport: Basketball (3×3)
Accomplishments: Competed for Team USA in 2024 Summer Games in Paris
Occupation: Barry, 31, works for global aerospace and technology company L3Harris Technologies in Melbourne, Florida as a systems engineer. He’s the son of Hall of Famer NBA player Rick Barry. Barry played in the G League in Iowa from 2018-2022. Barry holds a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Florida.
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Sport: Rowing
Accomplishments: Gold medal in the men's coxless four in the 2024 Paris Games
Occupation: Best, 27, has a career in finance as an investment analyst at the San Francisco based company Union Square Advisors. After being selected to compete in Tokyo 2020, Best finished his degree during the one-year pandemic delay. He studied business, engineering, and finance at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
Sport: Fencing
Accomplishments: 3-time Olympian, bronze medalist in 2016 Rio Games
Occupation: Chamley-Watson, 34, works as a fashion model. He stands 6 ft., 4 in., and is covered in tattoos. He has more than 445K followers on Instagram, and has attracted sponsors such as Nike, Red Bull, Richard Mille, Mercedes, and AirBnB, and just signed on with Tinder.
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Sport: Track and field
Accomplishments: Bronze and silver at 2020 Tokyo Games, three gold medals at 2024 Paris Games
Occupation: Thomas, 27, works in the healthcare industry. The gold medalist holds a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology from Harvard University and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Texas Health Science Center. While she’s not training, she has a second job at Austin volunteer health-care clinic for people without insurance. She leads a hypertension program there and has said she ultimately dreams of running a hospital or a nonprofit to expand access to healthcare.
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Matt Ryan is a dedicated sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in digital and linear media. After receiving a Masters in Journalism from USC, he’s worked for Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo Sports, USA Today Sports Media Group, and Bally Sports, while holding various leadership roles along the way.
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Gabby Thomas has a 'real' job? USA Olympians' other professions revealed – Sports Illustrated
