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German track star Alica Schmidt, dubbed the 'world's sexiest athlete,' qualified for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics during the mixed 4x400m relay at the World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas this past weekend.
“What a night,” Schmidt wrote in an Instagram Story post Sunday (May 5), which also showed fellow German athletes Manuel Sanders, Johanna Martin and Emil Agyekum.
Schmidt, 25, previously traveled to Tokyo for the pandemic-delayed Summer Games in 2021 but didn't compete and later announced plans to "take a break" from track and field in a post shared in August 2021.
"Not gonna lie, I’m not satisfied with my races this year. I’ve worked harder than ever before day in day out pushed my limits in every workout and made so many sacrifices," Schmidt wrote at the time. "It was not an easy year with my Covid Infection and torn ligaments but nevertheless, I know what I am capable of and I‘m hungry for more.
"Now, I'm going to take a break and I'm looking forward to coming back feeling fresh and ready to train hard again."
Schmidt, who has millions of followers on her social media platforms, shared a TikTok with the caption, "Olympic season officially started," this week after qualifying.
Schmidt made headlines earlier this year when she claimed to have turned down a six-figure offer from a "well-known" sponsor, despite barely earning a "living" in her sport. The 25-year-old said she declined the offer because she wasn't completely sold on the company during an appearance on the 'OMR' podcast German newspaper Bild published on February 8.
“I don’t feel comfortable with that. That would have been in the mid to high six figures. For a campaign,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt makes the majority of her income through social media, personal endorsements and partnerships, while also earning a small salary as a member of the German national team. The influencer previously revealed that she and her teammates only get paid the equivalent of $739 USD monthly through sponsorship deals streamlined through Sporthlife, the German sports aid foundation, which gives financial support to top athletes representing the country, in October via the Daily Mail.
Schmidt added that athletes can also received money through a team or organizations that they're a part of, such as her team, SC Charlottenburg, as well as prizes won during races. The German track star is currently enrolled in a remote learning course and has already made a splash in the modeling industry, which included wearing her own clothing line with fashion company Hugo Boss while walking the runway at the 2023 Milan Fashion Week.