A German track star, nicknamed the “world’s sexiest athlete,” says she turned down a large sum from a “well-known” sponsor despite receiving little money from her sport.
Alica Schmidt, 25, who has millions of social media followers, says she recently rejected down a sponsorship offer worth thousands of dollars because she wasn’t totally sold on the firm.
“Two months ago, I got an offer from a well-known brand. But I wasn’t completely behind it,” Schmidt told the OMR podcast, according to German daily Bild.
“I’m not comfortable with that. That would have been in the middle to upper six figures. “For a campaign.”
Schmidt earns money from social media, sponsorships, collaborations, and even a tiny wage as a member of the German national team.
In October, she disclosed that athletes on the national team only receive roughly $739 per month in sponsorship arrangements facilitated by Sporthilfe, the German sports aid agency that offers financial support to the country’s top athletes.
At the time, she also stated that athletes can receive money from a team or organization to which they belong, such as Schmidt’s SC Charlottenburg, as well as win prizes at races.
Schmidt, who is currently enrolled in a remote learning course for media and communications management, has also established herself in the modeling profession when she is not jogging or studying.
The influencer, who has a clothing line with Hugo Boss, walked the runway for the designer during the 2023 Milan Fashion Week.
Schmidt’s Instagram account, which has roughly 5 million followers, contains a mix of the 25-year-old running and competing in track events, as well as sponsored partnership postings advertising her campaign with Boss.
The athlete, who represented the national squad for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but did not compete, hopes to qualify for the Paris Games this summer.
However, she needs to cut her time by one second because her personal best is 52.8.
“You have to push yourself every day. It also occurs that I throw up after exercising, since that’s how you suffer,” she explained on the show.
“It’s also the best feeling when you’ve done it and pushed yourself and noticed that progress somewhere.”
The German rose to prominence in the fall of 2020, when she handily won a 400-meter race against soccer superstar Mats Hummels.
Schmidt was questioned if she could outperform other athletes in a race, including French superstar Kylian Mbappé.
“I can’t say, it depends on the distance,” she told me. “I have no chance in the 100 meters because I’m not the fastest.” But definitely at 400 meters. I am almost positive that I can beat any footballer.”