Highest Paid Female Athletes: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Joins Exclusive Club on Forbes Rich List

Over the years, questions have been raised over the lack of track and field stars on the list of the highest paid athletes but American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone looks to be changing that.

McLaughlin-Levrone has enjoyed success on track, winning Olympics and world titles, while breaking several world records, in her specialty 400m hurdles and now even in 400m flat.

The recently-crowned 2025 World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year nearly matched a 40-year-old record in the 400m at the 2025 World Championships in September, having clocked 47.78 seconds to win gold in an event that is not even her best.

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The 26-year-old made the Forbes list of the top 20 highest paid female athletes in 2025, coming in at position 18, with a fortune of $8.2 million made this year alone.

Interestingly, nearly all of her earnings did not come from the track, with $8 million coming from her brand endorsements, with just $200,000 from running. It is a huge disparity which shows how lowly athletics pays compared to other sports.

Some of McLaughlin-Levrone’s top brands include Gatorade, Neutrogena and TAG Heuer which have helped push up her earnings.

The American sprinter is now the biggest pull among female track stars for brands and it perhaps explains why she is the runner owed the most money by Grand Slam Track, which has filed for bankruptcy, with her cheque reported to be $350,000 despite not winning all her events.

As she looks towards the 2028 Olympics, McLaughlin-Levrone is considering running in both 400m hurdles and 400m flat, or perhaps the 200 meters, or maybe even competing in the long jump.

“I really would love to get back to that if it makes sense,” the former high school jumper told NBC News.

Tennis star Coco Gauff topped the women rich list for the second year running, with a fortune of $33 million in 2025, with other tennis players Aryna Sabalenka ($30 million) and Iga Swiatek ($25.1 million) completing the top three.