Despite the grandeur and glory of excelling at any Olympic Games, a medal around an athlete’s neck doesn’t necessarily translate into a lifetime of fame and fortune. Numerous former Olympic stars have struggled professionally in the aftermath of worldwide adoration.
From Gold Medals to Financial Uncertainty: The Post-Olympic Life
Bustle, a women’s magazine from New York, chronicled some of the second careers of notable Olympians:
Mark Spitz: Trading the Pool for Dentistry
- After dazzling crowds at the 1972 Summer Games in Munich, swimmer Mark Spitz eventually found himself training to be a dentist.
Emily Hughes: From Olympic Ice to Google’s World
- Once figure-skater Emily Hughes—a 2006 Games competitor in Turin, Italy—hung up her blades permanently, she eventually melded into a career at Google.
Jesse Owens: The Tragic Fall of an Olympic Legend
- Jesse Owens—the track-and-field wonder whose performance at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin earned him four gold medals—saw his post-sports pursuits completely collapse. He wandered from career to career, working as a gas station attendant, playground janitor, and manager of a dry–cleaning service.
Olympic Athletes: Now Competing in the Financial Industry
By far, however, most ex-Olympians successfully shake the confetti from their hair, frame the medals proudly, and navigate toward making a traditional living.
LinkedIn research reveals several Olympic athletes that found their way to the financial services industry.
Teri Cantwell: Shot Put Champion Scores in the Business World
As Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Central Bank, Springfield, Missouri, ex-Olympian Teri Cantwell has spent the past eight years strategically evaluating banking candidates to fill open roles within her organization. It’s a talent she honed in a former role at Boone County National Bank, Columbia, Mo.
As a student at Southern Methodist University, University Park, Tx., Cantwell was a two-time NCAA shot put champion. That distinction helped her earn a spot in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
When asked by Banking+ about her global athletic experience, Cantwell answered: “I love the Olympic spirit.”
“Utilizing my role in Human Resources and banking, I coach employees much like an athlete. We will find a way to win for your career, for your department, for the bank. We will give feedback that you understand that will help you achieve more. We will collaborate to make sure we as a team use all of strengths to be the strongest team. I love being able to help create that culture, due to my experience.”
Cantwell continued, “We have a mandatory class that all current and new employees take called ‘The Power of Coachability.’ [It enables me to] bring my experience as a professional and Olympic athlete to the workforce.”
Jason Evezard: Water Polo Star Makes Waves in Finance
Former Olympian Jason Evezard is a technology group professional for D.A. Davidson Investment Banking, Irvine, Calif.
As a graduate student at the University of California Irvine, he was selected by the South Africa water polo team to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Games. It was Evezard’s second triumph in the pool for South Africa; he helped the team to a 12th-place finish at the 2019 World Championships of the International Swimming Federation.
Olympic Diver Michael Hixon Makes a Splash in Finance
Two-time Olympian Michael Hixon competed as a diver with Team USA for both the 2016 and 2020 Games (Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, respectively). He was named team captain for the U.S. Olympic Diving Team.
Hixton, who has an MBA from the University of Michigan, is a present-day investment banking associate for RBC Capital Markets, New York, N.Y. He specializes in power, utilities and infrastructure.
From Wrestling Mat to Boardroom: Larry Langowski’s Journey
2008 Summer Olympian Larry Langowski—like Jason Evezard—was an Olympian for a team other than the United States. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, he was a freestyle wrestler for Mexico.
Langowski attended Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management for his BA and MBA. As an undergrad, he was named an Academic All-Big Ten student. The distinction honored Langowski’s excellence as both athlete and student, maintaining a 12-month track record of a minimum 3.0 GPA while concurrently wrestling at the collegiate level. Larry is now a Senior Vice President in the Fixed Income Capital Markets Division at UMB Bank.
Future Fearless Financiers
The experience of qualifying for and participating in any Olympic Games means development of both physical and mental excellence. The former is obvious; athletes need strength, agility, talent, endurance, and determination to succeed. The latter—those assets that feed the mind of an athletic competitor—include decisiveness, determination, cool-headedness, good communication, and a competitive spark.
These abilities are front-and-center in sports. But they also translate well to careers in financial services, which may explain the success of former Olympians evolving into bankers.
