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Social media sensation Sam Fricker has revealed the surprising bonus gift Aussie medallists receive after the diver won bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Fricker, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics last year, came third in the men’s 3m springboard synchronised diving for Australia – and he’s shared with fans the three special gifts Aussies received with their medals.
The 20-year-old has amassed a remarkable social media following, with 1.6million TikTok followers and more than 1million YouTube subscribers – and can often be seen teaching fellow influencers how to dive.
Diver Sam Fricker at the Australian trials for the Commonwealth Games in May
In a video posted on his social media, Fricker revealed the three things Aussie medallists received at the Commonwealth Games.
‘Number one is this box; it’s made from hardened cardboard so it’s eco-friendly and it looks great,’ he said in a video posted on his TikTok.
‘The other thing we get is this toy, which is the mascot.
‘The Australian team also got these incredible keyrings, which are the same colour as the medal you won,’ said Fricker.
Sam Fricker displays the keyring Aussie athletes receive that is the same colour as the medal they won at the Commonwealth Games
Fricker also revealed the medals are given in an eco-friendly cardboard box
The mascot Fricker pointed out is a bull, because of the many bull sculptures around Birmingham, due to the famous bull ring market, a place where the animals were once held before slaughter.
One user commented the bull’s name, Perry, came from the city’s bustling Perry Barr precinct.
Sam Fricker holds up Perry, the Birmingham Commonwealth Games mascot
While they might receive the cute gifts after a medal, Aussie athletes won’t receive one very important bonus: money.
A spokesman for Commonwealth Games Australia confirmed there is no medal incentive scheme for Aussie athletes who finish first in individual or team events over the next fortnight.
Other countries give their medallists up to $36,000 in prizemoney for winning medals.
India’s gold medallists will be spurred on by the fact they are poised to take home the equivalent of $36,000, along with the equivalent of $18,000 for silver and $13,500 for bronze.
Sam Fricker competes in the 3m springboard final on day nine of the Games
Bizarrely, Singaporean athletes snare $737 for winning gold – but they must invest 50 per cent of their winnings to their sport.
Australia’s approach to the Commonwealth Games is in stark contrast to the Olympics, where Aussie athletes are given $20,000 for a gold medal triumph, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze.
Fricker first rose to fame on social media while promoting his business – an eco-conscious straw manufacturing firm which makes straws from wheat stems – a company he founded while still at school.
He admitted earlier in the Games that despite the jovial and energetic nature of his videos, he still receives plenty of hate online.
He insists that his coaches are supportive of his decision to become a full-time YouTuber
‘Trolls? I get tons of hate but who cares’ he said in Birmingham. ‘I don’t care. If my friend came up to me and said, ‘Hey Sam, you shouldn’t do that’, then he’s probably right and I’ll listen,’ Fricker told the Sydney Morning Herald.
‘But if some person with no profile photo and zero followers is telling me I’m bad at diving, am I really taking that on board? People say anything: they say I can’t dive, they make fun of the way I talk.’
Fricker finished 28th in the 10m platform at the Tokyo Olympics last year – and it’s clear he isn’t concerned with what people think of him, his diving results or his cult social media following.