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The financial misery of a young Olympic participant made headlines. But famous help was quickly found.
Paris – US discus thrower Veronica Fraley took part in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but shortly before her competition she faced a major problem: she could not pay her rent. She made this public by posting on the platform X (formerly Twitter) shared.
Fraley, who studies at Vanderbilt University, expressed her disappointment that her university only provided part of the rent she needed, while football players at the same university are fully funded.
Olympic star runs into financial problems
“I’m competing in the Olympics tomorrow and I can’t even pay my rent. My university only sent about 75 percent of the rent, while they pay their football players (who haven’t even won yet) enough to buy new cars and houses,” Fraley lamented on her X-account.
Her call for help was met with prominent supporters. Flavor Flav, rap artist, member of the band Public Enemy and passionate fan of the Olympic Games, responded promptly to Veronica’s situation. A spokesman for the rapper confirmed to the TV station NBCthat Flavor Flav has paid the outstanding rent. However, he did not give an exact amount.
Discus thrower Veronica Fraley (l.) received money from rap icon Flavor Flav. © Imago/ USA TODAY Network /Insidefoto
But the world-famous rapper was not the only supporter. Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, also showed his big heart. He published a screenshot of his transfer to Fraley in the amount of $7,760, which significantly reduced the financial burden of the young athlete.
Rap icon helps Olympic ace financially
Overall, the response to Veronica’s call for help was enormous. Her Instagram post was viewed over 18 million times and shared by more than 16,300 users. In view of the great sympathy, Fraley decided to start a fundraiser on the Gofundme platform.
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How Bild reported, the goal of $20,000 was quickly reached thanks to 559 donors. This support not only shows the big heart of the community, but also sheds light on the often precarious financial situation of college athletes in the USA.
Germany’s track and field athletes have completely different problems. The mixed relay team missed the 4×400-meter final at the Olympics by a wide margin. This was followed by public criticism. (smr)
