Does winning an Olympic Medal really change your life?

Did you know that the International Olympic Committee doesn't award cash prizes to winners, however, many countries do or at least incentives to medalists and some Olympians get a performance bonus from sponsors?

Amy Williams became the first British individual gold medalist at a Winter Olympics for 30 years with her victory in the women's skeleton event. After the bitter disappointment of failing to qualify 4 years ago, she was understandably over-the-moon to have won gold at her first Olympics. All of her hard work had paid off. But has it really? Doesn't this triumph have a short shelf-life? Amy Williams returned to her home town of Bath to receive a hero's welcome. She rode in an open-top double-decker bus down the high street whilst hundreds of well-wishers clapped and cheered. She paid a visit to her former school, where over a thousand pupils waved flags and chanted 'Amy'. The sad fact is that our memories are short and her fame will be shorter. How many names do we remember from the last Olympics where Britain came away with a clutch of medals. Perhaps being the only British medalist in Vancouver and gold to boot, we will remember her for longer. One thing is for sure though, Amy Williams will not forget the last few weeks or the next few months as quickly as we will and in that sense her life will never be the same. She will remember that bus ride, being a hero to thousands of pupils at her school and the interviews and promotions which she will embark on during the next few months. Inevitably the time will come though, when she will have to either hang up her sled (and end on a high note) or return to training where there is always a risk of never reaching her top form again. If she does return I hope that the new poster girl for British sport has some sponsors calling.

Here in Poland, life is slightly better for Olympians.

Vancouver 2010 was Poland's best ever Winter Games with 6 medals, 1 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze. Nordic Cross Country golden girl Justyna Kowalczyk won a medal of every colour and here life will certainly change as a result of her success. She has earned 500,000 zloty (127,000 euro). The Polish Olympic Committee award their medalists 250,000 zloty for gold, 150,000 zloty for silver and 100,000 zloty for bronze medals. On top of that add a large sum from sponsors. Kowalczyk will probably be remembered for longer than Williams too, because the southern city of Katowice wants to name one of it's streets after her!
Adam Malysz, silver and bronze medalist from the Salt Lake City Games in 2002, came away from Vancouver with 2 silver medals in the Ski Jump. His success story is an example of the fickle nature of sports fans and his story could be a lesson for Amy and Justyna. He was a hero of Salt Lake, World Champion multiple times and then he had a slump. He was practically writtten-off. Headlines were full of lines like 'Malysz Flops' or 'Malysz Fails Again'. He must indeed feel a great personal satisfaction this time round to have proved his detractors wrong and he shouldn't feel too bad about the elusive Olympic gold. Congratulations too, to the Polish women's speed-skating team Katarzyna Bachleda-Curus, Katarzyna Wozniak and Luiza Zlotkowska who won bronze in the 3000m relay. Well done to them all. I hope it does change their lives, for the better.