Willis cashing in on Olympic success

KENT BLECHYNDEN/Fairfax Media

AIMING HIGH: Nick Willis is hoping to raise the New Zealand flag at two more Olympic games if his health holds up.

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Nick Willis didn't just run into New Zealand sporting immortality with his Olympic 1500m bronze medal, it seems he also ran into quite a nice little earner.

The new middle distance star of the world track and field scene confirmed at a press conference the morning after his dramatic night at the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing that his third place finish in a thrilling final of the 1500m should see him net a significant windfall in terms of his income from sponsorship and other avenues.

Willis, who has officially pulled out of tonight's 800m, wasn't able to put a figure on what it was worth becoming the first New Zealand Olympic medalist on the track since John Walker's gold in the same race at the 1976 Games in Montreal, but he was pretty sure it was going to take care of the mortgage he has on his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The 25-year-old Lower Hutt product is helped by the fact that he is now United States-based where his sponsorship income is significantly enhanced. Also his main sponsor Reebok haven't exactly had a successful Olympics thus far with their American athletes which Willis figured could work to his advantage.

The New Zealander had mentioned after winning Commonwealth Games gold in Melbourne two years ago that it would not mean a lot for his profile in the US. But he was adopting a different tact on his Olympic bronze.

"It's black and white," he said today. "It's a huge, huge difference. Being an Olympian means more than a Commonwealth gold medalist to Americans. My sponsor Reebok had a bit of a hard time at the US Olympic trials and only had four athletes qualify to go to the Games to represent the US.

"Then at the Games they haven't had the greatest successes. (Sweden's) Carolina Kluft, one of their marquee athletes, decided to pull out of the heptathlon as defending champion.

"For me to come through and pull out a medal in one of the key key events for them has just been huge. The guy who signs my cheques, Todd Klein, said he received at least 50 emails from Boston back where headquarters is, so everyone's very, very happy. That will pay off my mortgage that one basically, so I'm very happy."

Willis also confirmed he hoped to take his bronze medal with him on a speaking tour of New Zealand some time in the immediate future. He said he wanted to spread the message of his success to anyone who would listen. The windfall was probably not going to be as sizeable for New Zealand's other bronze medalist from Tuesday at the Games, triathlete Bevan Docherty.

But the 31-year-old Auckland-based Docherty said his second straight medal at the Olympics would also be worth its weight in gold for him, even if he is still chasing that elusive Games victory.

"I make a very good living out of it," said Docherty of his existence as one of the world's best professional triathletes. "Obviously a lot of it is hinged on this Olympic year. I guess financially it's a huge relief to do well, and it will certainly help with the mortgage in Auckland."

In terms of the income he now makes from the sport, he said: "I'm very happy. It's better than your average nine-to-five job in New Zealand."

But wasn't he just a little envious of the vast sums earned by the basketballers, footballers and even some swimmers who star at these Games?

"I can't complain too much," said Docherty, taking a typical realist's approach. "I think we're a happy medium.

"You look at the rowers, for example. They're very talented athletes and get by with next to nothing, relying on Sparc funding. Whereas I can earn some good prizemoney and I've got some very loyal sponsors who support me. I really can't complain."

Cyclist Hayden Roulston, who added team pursuit bronze to go with the silver he won in the individual event, was also expecting a payoff out of his historic double-medal success.

The Ashburton-based rider hopes to sign a deal any day now that will see him connect with one of the leading road teams based in Europe.

He said after speaking to his manager on Tuesday night it was "pretty likely" he'd be going back to Europe next year. He added: "Nothing is signed or sealed yet, but it's looking promising... It will be back in the big league."

Roulston, formerly with the Discovery Channel team, was reluctant to pick out a likely destination, but said anywhere in cycling's current climate would be just fine. "I'll just be happy to sign the contract to be honest," he said. "Then after one good year you can have a bit of room to pick and choose."