Tigst Assefa prize money
Tigst Assefa has been paid $5,500 by the Diamond League, which ranks 2001st of the 3,683 athletes the series has paid. It came from two paid finishes in the women's 800 m, the best of them 3rd.
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 she finished, and what the card paid for it
| MEETING | DISCIPLINE | PLACE | PAID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletissima 2014 | 800 m | 3rd | $4,000 |
| Belgacom Memorial Van Damme 2014 | 800 m | 7th | $1,500 |
| All two | Women's 800 m | - | $5,500 |
The two paid figures add up because none of them contains another: a place is paid once, at that meeting, so $5,500 is two separate amounts rather than a running total. It is 0.00% of the $113,397,000 the 224 meetings on this site paid out between them.
The World Championships
What Tigst Assefa did in Tokyo, 2025
| EVENT | PLACE | MARK | PAID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women's marathon | 2nd | 2:24:45 | $35,000 |
The 2025 World Championships paid Tigst Assefa $35,000 for one finish in Tokyo, against $5,500 from two Diamond League starts in 2014. Nine days there paid her more than any whole Diamond League season has. The championships page holds all 49 events and the $8,498,000 they paid out.
The Olympic Games
What Tigst Assefa won in Paris
| EVENT | MEDAL | EARNED |
|---|---|---|
| Women's marathon | Silver | - |
The silver in the women's marathon paid nothing. Only a gold pays, so 97 of the 145 medals awarded on the athletics programme in Paris carried no money at all. The Olympic page holds all 48 golds, the $2,400,000 they paid and what the circuit pays the same champions.
Around Tigst Assefa on the money list
Ranks 1981 to 2021
| # | ATHLETE | DISCIPLINE | WINS | PAID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Janeek Brown | Women's 100 m hurdles | - | $5,500 |
| 1982 | Joe Klecker | three disciplines | - | $5,500 |
| 1983 | Jonathan Sacoor | Men's 400 m | - | $5,500 |
| 1984 | Kevin López | two disciplines | - | $5,500 |
| 1985 | Leah Nugent | Women's 400 m hurdles | - | $5,500 |
| 1986 | Li Lingyu | Women's javelin throw | - | $5,500 |
| 1987 | Luka Bošković | Men's long jump | - | $5,500 |
| 1988 | Mario Pestano | Men's discus throw | - | $5,500 |
| 1989 | Māris Urtāns | Men's shot put | - | $5,500 |
| 1990 | Mike Foppen | two disciplines | - | $5,500 |
| 1991 | Monica Hargrove | two disciplines | - | $5,500 |
| 1992 | Mukhtar Mohammed | Men's 800 m | - | $5,500 |
| 1993 | Musaeb Abdulrahman Balla | Men's 800 m | - | $5,500 |
| 1994 | Pedrya Seymour | Women's 100 m hurdles | - | $5,500 |
| 1995 | Richard Yates | Men's 400 m hurdles | - | $5,500 |
| 1996 | Sarah Stevens-Walker | Women's shot put | - | $5,500 |
| 1997 | Shalaya Kipp | Women's 3000 m steeplechase | - | $5,500 |
| 1998 | Simon Magakwe | Men's 100 m | - | $5,500 |
| 1999 | Tan Jian | Women's discus throw | - | $5,500 |
| 2000 | Taresa Tolosa | two disciplines | - | $5,500 |
| 2001 | Tigst Assefa | Women's 800 m | - | $5,500 |
| 2002 | Tyquendo Tracey | Men's 100 m | - | $5,500 |
| 2003 | Udodi Onwuzurike | Men's 200 m | - | $5,500 |
| 2004 | Victor Hogan | Men's discus throw | - | $5,500 |
| 2005 | Wu Yanni | Women's 100 m hurdles | - | $5,500 |
| 2006 | Yanxi Li | Men's triple jump | - | $5,500 |
| 2007 | Yuki Koike | Men's 100 m | - | $5,500 |
| 2008 | Amere Lattin | Men's 400 m hurdles | - | $5,250 |
| 2009 | Brandon Carnes | two disciplines | - | $5,250 |
| 2010 | Chris McAlister | Men's 400 m hurdles | - | $5,250 |
| 2011 | Leandro Ramos | Men's javelin throw | - | $5,250 |
| 2012 | Line Kloster | two disciplines | - | $5,250 |
| 2013 | Luminosa Bogliolo | Women's 100 m hurdles | - | $5,250 |
| 2014 | Marie-Therese Obst | Women's javelin throw | - | $5,250 |
| 2015 | Ricky Petrucciani | Men's 400 m | - | $5,250 |
| 2016 | Timothy Herman | Men's javelin throw | - | $5,250 |
| 2017 | Aaron Cheminingwa | Men's 800 m | - | $5,000 |
| 2018 | Alizée Minard | Women's javelin throw | - | $5,000 |
| 2019 | Alyxandria Treasure | Women's high jump | - | $5,000 |
| 2020 | Anastasiya Rabchenyuk | Women's 400 m hurdles | - | $5,000 |
| 2021 | Anca Heltne | Women's shot put | - | $5,000 |
A slice of the same list the Diamond League hub ranks in full. Tigst Assefa is 2001st of the 3,683 athletes the 224 meetings on this site paid, on $5,500.
Who else was in the money
The rest of the eight, at the meetings that paid Tigst Assefa most
Athletissima 2014 paid $4,000 for 3rd in the 800 m, one of eight in the field. Also paid that afternoon: Molly Ludlow, Lynsey Sharp, Janeth Jepkosgei, Marina Arzamasova, Malika Akkaoui and Eunice Sum.
Belgacom Memorial Van Damme 2014 paid $1,500 for 7th in the 800 m, one of eight in the field. Also paid that afternoon: Maggie Vessey, Brenda Martinez, Lynsey Sharp, Eunice Sum, Marina Arzamasova and Janeth Jepkosgei.
Frequently asked questions
How much Diamond League prize money has Tigst Assefa won?
$5,500, which ranks 2001st of the 3,683 athletes the series has paid across the 224 meetings on this site. It came from two paid finishes in 2014.
What is Tigst Assefa's biggest Diamond League payday?
$4,000, for finishing 3rd in the 800 m at the 2014 Athletissima. The Diamond League pays by place rather than by performance, so that figure is what the card in force that season paid for 3rd and would have paid anybody who finished there.
How does the Diamond League decide what Tigst Assefa gets paid?
Entirely by where she 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 women's 800 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.
How much did Tigst Assefa win at the 2025 World Championships?
$35,000, from one paid final in Tokyo. The championships pay eight places in every event, $70,000 for a title down to $5,000 for 8th.
Is this everything Tigst Assefa earns from athletics?
No. This is the Diamond League, which is one series of 224 meetings. The World Championships money above is separate money from a separate payer, and none of it is added together here. It holds no national federation payment, no appearance fee and no sponsorship. What it does hold is every dollar the series itself paid her, 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 Tigst Assefa is Taresa Tolosa on $5,500, and one below Tyquendo Tracey on $5,500. Tigst Assefa 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 women's 800 m prize money. The series has paid out in 20 women's disciplines and Tigst Assefa has been paid in one of them. The biggest of the rest are women's 100 m, women's 100 m hurdles and women's 400 m. Every meeting she has raced is linked in the table at the top of this page, and Athletissima has its own page across every edition of it. Away from the series, World Championships prize money is Tokyo 2025, $8,498,000 paid eight places deep in every event, and the full final is on the women's marathon page.