By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-05 23:11:48 | Updated at 2024-12-22 11:52:05
2 weeks ago
The highest-paid female athletes of 2024 have been released by Sportico and Caitlin Clark and Simone Biles sit outside the top 5 despite record years in their respective disciplines.
2024 marked a high for women's sports with numbers getting shattered in ratings, attendance, and sponsorships. Of course, the earnings skyrocketed for the athletes with the growth of their audiences.
On Wednesday, Sportico released their data from this year, calculating totals from salary/winnings and endorsement checks.
American tennis star Coco Gauff topped her fellow competitors. The 20-year-old racked up $9.4million in winnings and $21m in endorsement deals.
Skiing sensation Eileen Gu went second with $22.1m. The next five slots would be occupied by tennis players Iga Swiatek ($21.4m), Zheng Qinwen ($20.6m), Aryna Sabalenka ($17.7m), Naomi Osaka ($15.9m), and Emma Raducanu ($14.7m).
The eighth through tenth slots belonged to golf superstars Nelly Korda, Biles, and Clark. The golfer earned $14.4m while Clark and Biles earned roughly $11.1m.
Coco Gauff is the highest-paid female athlete from 2024 with a total of $30.4million in earnings
Simone Biles and Caitlin Clark went ninth and tenth, respectively, with $11.1m a piece
Biles made headlines as she led Team USA's gymnastics success at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, bagging three golds and a silver for the Stars and Stripes.
On the other hand, Clark parlayed her popularity from her collegiate career in Iowa into her rookie season in the WNBA after getting drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever. Clark's entry inspired a massive spike in viewership and attendance numbers for the league.
Clark would lead the Fever to their first playoff appearance since 2016 before getting swept by the Connecticut Sun in the opening round. Nonetheless, Clark secured the Rookie of the Year honor and came close in the MVP race.
The final five slots would be built with tennis and golf players. Jasmine Paolini ($10m), Jessica Pegula ($8.2m), and Elena Rybakina ($7.9m) took the 11th, 13th, and 14th slots, respectively.
Jeeno Thitikul's $9.1m year placed her 12th, while Lydia Ko finished the rankings with her $6.7m earnings.
Tennis led the rankings with nine entries. Golf had three while Skiing, basketball, and gymnastics had a single representative.
Biles and Gauff retained their ranks from last year while Clark broke into the top ten in her first year as a professional.
