Female Sprinter 'Leaks Payslip' Moments after Finishing Race
US sprint star Masai Russell leaked her pay just moments after finishing a race at the all-female Athlos meet in New York.
The women-only athletics meet returned for its second edition this year, bringing a party-style atmosphere with live music and Tiffany & Co. crowns instead of winners' medals.
Some of the sport's biggest names were in attendance on October 10, including Olympic champions Keely Hodgkinson and Faith Kipyegon.
Last year's winners took home a huge $60,000 (£44,603) prize, which is one of the biggest in athletics and it seems that the pay remained the same this year.
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After claiming victory in the 100m hurdles, Russell was asked if she had received her prize money.
She then held up a phone to show what looked to be a banking app, with a figure of $60,000 in the corner.
Russell joked: "They not playing no games. Yes, I got mine."
The women's track and field meet took place at New York's Icahn Stadium, while the night before, qualifying for the women's long jump was held in Times Square.
It is all part of a wider push to bring athletics to new audiences and make it more popular outside of the major competitions.
But not all attempts to boost the popularity of athletics have been successful.
The most high-profile example is the controversial Grand Slam Track which had been backed by Olympic legend Michael Johnson.
The series launched earlier this year in Kingston, Jamaica, with four meets planned, but the final stop in Los Angeles was cancelled due to financial issues.
Johnson confirmed in August that organisers had been unable to pay athletes millions in appearance fees and prize money, with race winners promised up to $100,000 (£74,908).
The former American athlete said: “It is incredibly difficult to live with the reality that you’ve built something bigger than yourself while simultaneously feeling like you’ve let down the very people you set out to help.
“We promised that athletes would be fairly and quickly compensated.
"Yet, here we are struggling with our ability to compensate them.”
According to The Guardian, Johnson now faces potential legal action from athletes, agents and suppliers, who claim they are owed around $19 million (£13.9 million).
Grand Slam track denied that Johnson profited personally from Grand Slam Track.
A representative for Michael Johnson told The Guardian: "The rumours that Michael Johnson has received $2m or profited in any way from Grand Slam Track are categorically false.
"In fact, Michael has actually put over $2m of his own money into the project.
"We are working hard in real time to secure additional funds, and Michael has asked for patience while we try to fix this."
Topics: Athletics
James Taylor