- German athlete Alicia Schmidt spoke about turning down a huge sum of money
- He said he has to be “100 percent” behind a company before endorsing it.
- Schmidt claims he earns just £600 a month as his main salary
German track and field star Alicia Schmidt has revealed how she turned down a huge “six-figure” endorsement deal because she “didn’t feel comfortable”, despite having a modest income.
The 25-year-old competes for her country in the 400-meter events and was part of the German relay team that traveled to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, although she did not compete.
Schmidt, dubbed the “world’s sexiest athlete,” has a large following on social media, with 4.9 million followers on Instagram and 2 million on TikTok, where she regularly posts photos and clips of herself preparing for races and track events.
She has also shown the glamorous side of her life, which has seen her attend fashion shows, PR events and glitzy vacations.
However, Schmidt has revealed that she is selective about the brand partnerships she signs.
German track and field star Alicia Schmidt has revealed she turned down a big sponsorship because she “didn’t feel comfortable”
The 25-year-old said she has to be “100 percent” behind a brand before signing with it, despite her modest income.
Schmidt has been labeled “the sexiest athlete alive” and has 4.9 million followers on Instagram, plus another 2 million on TikTok.
He is a representative of Hugo Boss, but claimed last year that his main salary comes from the German sports foundation Sporthilfe, which pays him just £600 (€700) a month, and only because he competes for its national team, according to image.
But despite that modest base salary, Schmidt has talked about turning down a lucrative sponsorship from a “well-known” company, saying he has to be “100 percent behind” a brand before signing up for it.
She told Bild: ‘Two months ago I received an offer from a well-known brand. But I didn’t support it 100 percent. I don’t feel comfortable with that. That would have been mid to high six figures for a campaign.’
Schmidt has previously spoken about the difficulties of an athlete generating a regular income, saying that the money she is paid to compete is not enough to live on.
Schmidt competes in the 400 meter events with the German athletics team and was part of the group that traveled to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
He has spoken about the lack of regular income for athletes and that the money from competitions is not enough to survive.
“In principle, I must say that most German athletes do not find it easy to make a living from sport,” he told the German publication.
‘Of course you can earn money through contests. In most competitions you don’t win money. Personally, I could not live on these amounts alone, because in many competitions there are still travel and hotel expenses that are not always covered.
“Most of us study part-time to have a second source of income, or even have mini-jobs that we do on the side.”
Schmidt generates funds from his large Instagram following, but has also pursued interests outside of athletics.
He reportedly studied media management and communication in a virtual course to have more options outside of sport.
Her achievements as a runner include a silver medal at the European Under-20 Athletics Championships in the 4x400m relay, before taking gold in the same competition and event three years later.
Schmidt makes money with social networks and has also decided to study communication
She went viral while working as a physical trainer at Borussia Dortmund after beating defender Mats Hummels in a 400-meter race.
In addition to athletics, Schmidt has also applied his knowledge of nutrition and fitness in other areas. She was named physical trainer at German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund for the 2020-21 season.
During that time, he starred in a viral clip with 6 million views in which he ran against Dortmund defender Mats Hummels in 400 meters, winning easily.
During the same interview, he was asked about his chances of beating PSG’s renowned speed merchant Kylian Mbappé in a race.
She replied: ‘It depends on the distance. I have no chance in the 100 meters because I am not the fastest. But definitely at 400 meters. “I’m almost sure I can beat any footballer.”