“Management is becoming more difficult.” For popular athletes, glory time… and contracts.

There are his medals, of course: gold in the 100-meter backstroke, which he won on Monday, July 29, and bronze in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. But there is also her figure, and in particular her abs, which have turned the hearts of many netizens. Thomas Secco, an Italian swimmer with bulging muscles and green eyes, has become one of the sex symbols of the Paris Olympics. At 23, the athlete now has to deal with a new celebrity whose Instagram account has grown from 97,000 followers to nearly 800,000 in two weeks.

“I didn’t expect it. Managing becomes more difficult both in social networks and in real life,” he confides to our colleagues. Wall Street Journal . Challenging, but perhaps rewarding, as brands want to ride this new celebrity. “We’re getting a lot of requests, we have to wait for the storm to die down because there’s a lot at the moment,” breathes Francesca Ramaso, Dao Sport’s agent responsible for Thomas Cecon’s character.

From scrap to cash?

Other beloved athletes like him are discovering the weight of public attention and can benefit from it. We heard from French swimmer Leon Marchand, winner of four gold and one bronze medal, one of the stars of these games, who assured us that he was well aware that his life was about to change and that he would have to adapt to his newfound fame. . German Leo Neugebauer, the silver medalist in the decathlon on August 3, is enjoying dazzling success, in particular, thanks to his favorable physique. Which sometimes takes precedence over performance.

As for French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirat, who was eliminated at 5.70 meters after throwing down. Because of his leg, experts assure, because of the size of his penis, Internet users prefer to decide. The video of the flight, which immediately went viral, fired up everyone’s imaginations. Even CamSoda vice president Darrin Parker was prompted to offer Anthony Ammirati $250,000 (€229,000) to shoot an hour-long video, which the athlete turned down. In another registry, gold medalist Yusuf Dikec, a 51-year-old Turkish shooter, was named the “world’s sexiest man” by many netizens after shooting with one hand in his pocket and headphones as his only device.

Athletes, pop culture figures

But concrete abs aren’t the only thing that’s stirring fans’ hearts. Some athletes have become famous for their humor in a short time, like the Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen, says:muffin man” as she showed off her love for the Olympic Village cakes. American gymnast Steven Nedoroszczyk has been compared to Clark Kent after removing his glasses before launching himself onto a horse and winning two bronze medals. “Myself, I’m scrolling through TikTok and I see myself and I’m like, ‘What the hell is going on?’ It’s crazy,” he still admits to our colleagues Wall Street Journal.

Here too, brands are not indifferent to this sudden light. Steven Nedoroszczyk’s agent says he’s been inundated with offers for collaborations with clothing, gaming or… eyewear brands. “Some of them don’t even have the intention of campaigning, they just ask us what we can do together,” he explains. A lot, judging by the few figures available. The International Olympic Committee estimated the revenue from the partnerships signed by athletes at $1.34 billion (€1.22 billion). That’s a 60% increase compared to the 2020 Tokyo Games, so athletes can dream of skyrocketing earnings…or make them train. Like Thomas Seccon, who does not rule out modeling in the future. After retirement?