Kenenisa Bekele prize money
Kenenisa Bekele has been paid $8,000 by the Diamond League, which ranks 1717th of the 3,683 athletes the series has paid. It came from three paid finishes in the men's 5000 m, the best of them 4th.
The Diamond League pays by finishing place and nothing else. A published card sets what first through eighth is worth, the same figure in every discipline at that meeting, and ninth pays nothing.
Every payment
Where he finished, and what the card paid for it
| MEETING | DISCIPLINE | PLACE | PAID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prefontaine Classic 2012 | 5000 m | 4th | $3,000 |
| Shanghai Golden Grand Prix 2012 | 5000 m | 5th | $2,500 |
| Bislett Games 2012 | 5000 m | 5th | $2,500 |
| All three | Men's 5000 m | - | $8,000 |
The three paid figures add up because none of them contains another: a place is paid once, at that meeting, so $8,000 is three separate amounts rather than a running total. It is 0.01% of the $113,397,000 the 224 meetings on this site paid out between them.
Around Kenenisa Bekele on the money list
Ranks 1697 to 1737
| # | ATHLETE | DISCIPLINE | WINS | PAID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1697 | Tyron Akins | Men's 110 m hurdles | - | $8,500 |
| 1698 | Vitória Cristina Rosa | two disciplines | - | $8,500 |
| 1699 | Zigismunds Sirmais | Men's javelin throw | - | $8,500 |
| 1700 | Edis Matusevičius | Men's javelin throw | - | $8,250 |
| 1701 | Lore Hoffmann | two disciplines | - | $8,250 |
| 1702 | Maruša Mišmaš-Zrimšek | Women's 3000 m steeplechase | - | $8,250 |
| 1703 | Osku Torro | Men's high jump | - | $8,250 |
| 1704 | Yual Reath | Men's high jump | - | $8,250 |
| 1705 | Yupun Abeykoon | Men's 100 m | - | $8,250 |
| 1706 | Bouabdellah Tahri | two disciplines | - | $8,000 |
| 1707 | Christina Vukicevic | Women's 100 m hurdles | - | $8,000 |
| 1708 | Dedric Dukes | Men's 200 m | - | $8,000 |
| 1709 | Doreen Amata | Women's high jump | - | $8,000 |
| 1710 | Elijah Kipterege | Men's 3000 m steeplechase | - | $8,000 |
| 1711 | Hawi Feysa | two disciplines | - | $8,000 |
| 1712 | Irene Ekelund | two disciplines | - | $8,000 |
| 1713 | Isaac Updike | Men's 3000 m steeplechase | - | $8,000 |
| 1714 | Jessica Warner-Judd | four disciplines | - | $8,000 |
| 1715 | Josephus Lyles | Men's 200 m | - | $8,000 |
| 1716 | Karl Taillepierre | Men's triple jump | - | $8,000 |
| 1717 | Kenenisa Bekele | Men's 5000 m | - | $8,000 |
| 1718 | Krystian Zalewski | Men's 3000 m steeplechase | - | $8,000 |
| 1719 | Lenka Masná | Women's 800 m | - | $8,000 |
| 1720 | Lidio Andrés Feliz | Men's 400 m | - | $8,000 |
| 1721 | Lisa Aguilera | Women's 3000 m steeplechase | - | $8,000 |
| 1722 | Lopez Lomong | two disciplines | - | $8,000 |
| 1723 | Maggie Vessey | Women's 800 m | - | $8,000 |
| 1724 | Marlon Devonish | two disciplines | - | $8,000 |
| 1725 | Maurren Higa Maggi | Women's long jump | - | $8,000 |
| 1726 | Michał Rozmys | two disciplines | - | $8,000 |
| 1727 | Ryan Hill | two disciplines | - | $8,000 |
| 1728 | Ryohei Arai | Men's javelin throw | - | $8,000 |
| 1729 | Shalane Flanagan | Women's 5000 m | - | $8,000 |
| 1730 | Shevon Stoddart | Women's 400 m hurdles | - | $8,000 |
| 1731 | Tatyana Polnova | Women's pole vault | - | $8,000 |
| 1732 | Thomas Wilkes | Men's 110 m hurdles | - | $8,000 |
| 1733 | Viktoriya Rybalko | Women's long jump | - | $8,000 |
| 1734 | Zhang Yaoguang | Men's long jump | - | $8,000 |
| 1735 | Abby Steiner | two disciplines | - | $7,750 |
| 1736 | Adrián Ben | two disciplines | - | $7,750 |
| 1737 | Emmanuel Matadi | two disciplines | - | $7,750 |
A slice of the same list the Diamond League hub ranks in full. Kenenisa Bekele is 1717th of the 3,683 athletes the 224 meetings on this site paid, on $8,000.
Who else was in the money
The rest of the eight, at the meetings that paid Kenenisa Bekele most
Prefontaine Classic 2012 paid $3,000 for 4th in the 5000 m, one of eight in the field. Also paid that afternoon: Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa, John Kipkoech, Yenew Alamirew, Samuel Chelanga, Mo Farah and Isiah Kiplangat Koech.
Shanghai Golden Grand Prix 2012 paid $2,500 for 5th in the 5000 m, one of eight in the field. Also paid that afternoon: Yenew Alamirew, Augustine Kiprono Choge, Sammy Alex Mutahi, Hagos Gebrhiwet, Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa and John Kipkoech.
Bislett Games 2012 paid $2,500 for 5th in the 5000 m, one of eight in the field. Also paid that afternoon: Moses Ndiema Kipsiro, Sileshi Sihine, Yigrem Demelash, Dejen Gebremeskel, Hagos Gebrhiwet and Imane Merga.
Frequently asked questions
How much Diamond League prize money has Kenenisa Bekele won?
$8,000, which ranks 1717th of the 3,683 athletes the series has paid across the 224 meetings on this site. It came from three paid finishes in 2012.
What is Kenenisa Bekele's biggest Diamond League payday?
$3,000, for finishing 4th in the 5000 m at the 2012 Prefontaine Classic. The Diamond League pays by place rather than by performance, so that figure is what the card in force that season paid for 4th and would have paid anybody who finished there.
How does the Diamond League decide what Kenenisa Bekele gets paid?
Entirely by where he finishes. The series publishes one rate card a season and applies it to every discipline at every meeting, so a place is worth the same in the men's 5000 m as it is in the shot put on the same afternoon. Eight places are paid and ninth pays nothing. There is no bonus for a record and no share of a gate.
Is this everything Kenenisa Bekele earns from athletics?
No. This is the Diamond League, which is one series of 224 meetings. It holds no championship prize money, no national federation payment, no appearance fee and no sponsorship. What it does hold is every dollar the series itself paid him, priced off the card it published.
Where to next
The rest of the Diamond League money
Diamond League prize money ranks all 3,683 athletes across the $113,397,000 the 224 meetings on this site paid out. One place above Kenenisa Bekele is Karl Taillepierre on $8,000, and one below Krystian Zalewski on $8,000. Kenenisa Bekele is one of 147 Ethiopia athletes athletics has paid, and Ethiopia athletics prize money adds them up to $5,789,000 across all six competitions. For the event itself, see men's 5000 m prize money. The series has paid out in 21 men's disciplines and Kenenisa Bekele has been paid in one of them. The biggest of the rest are men's 100 m, men's pole vault and men's 800 m. Every meeting he has raced is linked in the table at the top of this page, and Prefontaine Classic has its own page across every edition of it.