How much money does an Olympic winner make?

Answer 1

Absolutely none. No Olympian has ever won prize money for winning event, even in Ancient Times.

This is what I thought, too. However, it turns out that many (if not all) of the individual country's Olympic Committees do award prizes to Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners. For example, the US awards $25,000, $15,000, and $10,000 to the Gold, Silver, and Bronze, respectively. Similarly, Canada awards $20,000, $15,000 and $10,000. As a final example, the Russian Olympic Committee gives $135,000 (yes, that much), $81,600, and $54,400. SOURCE: The Canadian Press Jan 20, 2010.

Answer 2

Many nations pay their athletes for winning a medal, but the US does not. In the US, many athletes earn money from product sponsorship such as energy bars, drinks, bicycle manufacturers, etc.