Sportico has published the highest-paid athletes of 2024, and Caitlin Clark and Simone Biles are outside the top 5 despite record years in their respective disciplines.
2024 marked a record year for women’s sports, with numbers shattering in ratings, attendance and sponsorships. Of course, athletes’ income skyrocketed with the growth of their audience.
On Wednesday, sports released its data for this year, calculating totals for salaries/earnings and support checks.
American tennis star Coco Gauff outperformed her fellow competitors. The 20-year-old racked up $9.4 million in earnings and $21 million in endorsement deals.
Skiing sensation Eileen Gu came in second with $22.1 million. The next five places would be occupied by tennis players Iga Swiatek ($21.4 million), Zheng Qinwen ($20.6 million), Aryna Sabalenka ($17.7 million), Naomi Osaka ($15.9 million ) and Emma Raducanu ($14.7 million).
Places eighth through tenth belonged to golf superstars Nelly Korda, Biles and Clark. The golfer earned $14.4 million, while Clark and Biles earned approximately $11.1 million.
Coco Gauff is the highest-paid female athlete as of 2024 with a total of $30.4 million in earnings
Simone Biles and Caitlin Clark came in ninth and tenth, respectively, with $11.1 million a piece.
Biles made headlines when she led Team USA’s gymnastics success at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, earning three golds and a silver for the Stars and Stripes.
On the other hand, Clark parlayed her popularity from her collegiate career at Iowa into her rookie season in the WNBA after being selected first overall by the Indiana Fever. Clark’s entrance inspired a massive increase in the league’s viewing and attendance figures.
Clark would lead the Fever to their first playoff appearance since 2016 before being swept by the Connecticut Sun in the first round. However, Clark secured the Rookie of the Year honor and came close in the MVP race.
The last five places would be built with tennis and golf players. Jasmine Paolini ($10 million), Jessica Pegula ($8.2 million) and Elena Rybakina ($7.9 million) ranked 11th, 13th and 14th, respectively.
Jeeno Thitikul’s $9.1 million annual earnings placed her at 12th place, while Lydia Ko finished the ranking with her earnings of $6.7 million.
Tennis led the classification with nine entries. Golf had three while skiing, basketball and gymnastics had a single representative.
Biles and Gauff maintained their ranks from last year, while Clark entered the top ten in his first year as a professional.