First, there was pommel horse guy. There was Anthony Ammirati and his bulge. Now another sexy olympian is lighting up the internet: Canadian pole vaulter Alysha Newman, who is vying to make pole vaulting the Olympics’ sexiest sport.
On Wednesday, the olympian and OnlyFans model won a bronze medal and celebrated third place by twerking for the cameras. And, Canadians were twerking with joy along with her. Like Pommel horse guy, she secured a much-longed-for medal: Canada’s first-ever medal in women’s pole vaulter and the first pole vaulter to win since 1912. Newman was pretty chuffed too, too. Newman posted on Instagram: “Hi! My name is Alysha Newman and I am a freaking OLYMPIC MEDALIST FOREVER & EVER!!! Brb, crying it has finally hit.”
DIFFERENT ANGLE:
— Dutch_Investor (@cryptostonk2) August 8, 2024
Alysha Newman twerking at the Olympics in Paris today after the Canadian jumps 4.85 m pic.twitter.com/3XpTBYitgi
Who Is Alysha Newman?
Alysha Newman, 30, holds the Commonwealth Games and Canadian national record in women’s pole vault. However, she’s had a rocky road to the Olympics. Despite qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she failed in all three pole vault attempts and didn’t make the final roster.
Alysha Newman attended Mother Teresa Secondary School in London, Ontario, before attending Eastern Michigan University in 2013. She minored in nutrition and majored in exercise physiology in 2016, so the nutrition tips and tricks she shares with her audience on OnlyFans are legit.
Newman originally started in gymnastics, entering when she was thirteen, but she quit due to an injury. She played ice hockey before settling on track and field.
Alysha Newman OlyAlysha Newman On OnlyFans Fame
Like multiple Olympians, Alysha Newman has been open about her time spent moonlighting on OnlyFans, using the platform to build an audience and make extra money, and she’s unbothered by the attention. She told the German outlet BILD: “I earn money with what I post—you have to log in to find out. It makes me feel confident, and I feel good about it.”
While OnlyFans is known for erotic content, many celebrities and creators use it as a paid way to connect with their audience. Unlike Instagram and TikTok, which can only be monetized through brand sponsorships, creator programs and pointers to gated Substacks, OnlyFans sets a price on connection.
Newman told BILD she doesn’t post erotic content on the platform. A lot of it is behind-the-scenes training footage, nutrition hacks and tips and tricks – along with the odd sexy photo.
She said: “Of course, many people have a certain cliche when they think of OnlyFans. I can’t change many people’s minds. But this website has connected me with many fans, more than any other pole vaulter before. What others think about it doesn’t bother me. I am who I am and I do it well.”
Why Are So Many Olympic Athletes On Only Fans?
Male Olympians have been open about using OnlyFans as a lucrative way to build their fan base and supplement (or double) their income.
Robbert Mason, a New Zealand rower, told Reuters in late July that he makes “double” what he makes as an athlete on OnlyFans. “I get more than double what I would be on otherwise as an athlete- read into that what you will, but I am making more from OnlyFans than I am from rowing at this stage.” He was sanguine about people finding out. “I thought, if I’m going to do it, you have to tell everyone, be really open and I think you need to feel that any publicity is good publicity.”
Synchronised springboarders Daniel Goodfellow and Jack Laugher have both delighted followers on OnlyFans. But Newman is one of the first female athletes to speak about using the platform.
What Is OnlyFans?
If you’ve made it this far without knowing what OnlyFans is, apologies. OnlyFans is a subscription-based platform created in 2016 as a content subscription service. The site allows users to sell and purchase content and exploded in popularity during the COVID-19 2020 lockdowns as users signed up to create new revenue streams.
OnlyFans has been credited with revolutionising how creators and fans connect online. It allows influencers and content makers to monetise their content independently. And it’s not just emerging stars and amateur pornographers who are jumping online; celebrities like Cardi B, Denise Richards, and Bella Thorn have created exclusive content for fans on the platform.
Of course, the private and gated nature of the platform that prioritises relationship building with fans lends itself perfectly to erotic content; and many users have found success on the platform creating amateur porn, providing sex tips or, as seen with Newman, sharing BTS content along with saucy snaps.
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
