Winning Olympic gold [1] is no mean feat, but with the symbolic medal often comes a paycheck, too. Athletes make a lot of their money through endorsements, but they can also win actual cash for their placement in the competition — some more than others. Different countries offer different amounts of money to the amazing athletes, and the winnings actually vary greatly. Some countries, like the United Kingdom, don't offer money to the medalist at all (ouch). Other countries — like Singapore — offer some MAJOR cash. Here's a breakdown (in USD) of what gold medal winners earn.

Gold medal winners from the United States receive $25,000 before taxes [2]. Silver medal winners receive $15,000, and bronze winners receive $10,000. For team sports like gymnastics, the winnings are not split amongst members — each athlete receives the winning amount.

Canada and Australia reportedly dish out about $15,000 to gold medalists, while Germany hands over around $20,000.

But some countries award gold medalists payouts that are reportedly in the six-figure range [3]. In Singapore, gold medalists are said to receive a little more than $750,000 for their big win (nice!), while Indonesia offers around $385,000, Azerbaijan awards about $256,000, Kazakhstan gives $230,000, and Italy pays a solid $185,000.

Whether the winners receive hundreds of thousands of dollars or nothing at all, we know they're going home with something priceless: the pride of their nation and a sense of achievement they'll likely remember for the rest of their lives.