Inside the lobby of a New York City hotel last September, American fencer Monica Aksamit began to panic.
The front desk clerk had caught Aksamit by surprise when he asked to put a $150 hold on her credit card to cover incidentals.
“That was all the money I had left in my bank account at that time,” the 29-year-old Olympian said. “I texted my best friend and said, ‘Can you please Venmo me some money? Until I get this money back, I don’t even have enough for food or anything.’
Like many elite athletes in niche sports, Aksamit struggles to finance her pursuit of Olympic glory.