Canadian pole vaulter and OnlyFans star Alysha Newman went viral Wednesday after celebrating her Olympic bronze medal by twerking.
The 30-year-old athlete stunned fans in Paris when she cleared 4.85 meters in a hotly contested final, with her third-place conquest making her the first Canadian woman to take home a medal in the event, The Telegraph reported.
However, soon after concluding her record-setting performance, Newman shook her butt toward the crowds and television cameras with a big grin across her face — a move that would later divide the Internet on whether she was trying to promote her OnlyFans or just celebrating with a silly dance.
“Olympic athletes used to be considered heroes and a source of national pride. This is just gross,” one person commented underneath a video of Newman twerking.
Despite some negativity surrounding her celebration, many social media users were quick to defend her actions as lighthearted fun.
“These comments are miserable, let someone who’s worked hard for 4 years have fun. Y’all sitting on the couch getting closer to type 2 diabetes every day,” one social media user chimed in.
“Alysha has the right to celebrate in anyway she wants,” another person said.
Newman, who is from Delaware, Ontario, in Canada, charges £10 ($12.70) a month for access to her adult-only content.
She is far from the only Olympian making use of the steamy subscription service to rake in some extra cash.
British diver Jack Laugher, who is also competing at the 2024 Paris Games, sent fans into a frenzy when he unveiled his account, charging $10 per month for access to his content.
“Obviously, I’ve got what people want,” the 29-year-old told The Telegraph. “I’ll happily cash in on that. I’m a bit of a hustler and I want a bit more money if I can.”
2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
The diver says the adult-only site helps supplement the minuscule salary he makes as a competitive athlete.
“The funding hasn’t changed [in years],” he stated. “I’m top three in the world, and it is £28,000 [USD $36,000] a year.”
Laugher didn’t disclose how much money he takes home from his OnlyFans account, which does not feature full-frontal nudity.
Instead, Laugher shares “SFW [safe for work] content in speedos, briefs, boxer and more!” as well as the option for followers to chat with him.
Several of Laugher’s teammates, including, Noah Williams, 24, Daniel Goodfellow, 27, and Matty Lee, 26, have also started OnlyFans accounts, sharing similarly titillating — but not explicit — content.
The platform has also been utilized by retired Olympians, like short-track speed skater Elise Christie, who says her account “saved her life” after her retirement three years ago.
“I went from being someone who won medals under a system to then having absolutely nothing and just being dropped out and left to understand life,” she told the paper.
“I had lost my house and was working three jobs at the time… [OnlyFans] brought me back from a really dark place, and I now use it positively,” she stated, adding that she does not share X-rated content.
