Even after the Olympic flame was extinguished, the gold rush showed no signs of slowing down with several medal winners being courted by major corporate houses for lucrative endorsement deals.

Michael Phelps who took back the highest number of gold medals in the history of Olympic Games is the new face of celebrity endorsements. Even before the Games started, he had been signed on by corporate heavyweights as Visa, AT&T, Speedo, PowerBar and Omega and was reportedly collecting $5 million annually for sponsorships. Post his record-breaking feat of eight individual gold medals, he is expected to touch new heights in endorsement contracts and is already being coveted by companies like Kellogg.

Other famous medal winners who continue to mine gold after the Olympics are American gymnast Nastia Liukin and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. Visa has already roped in Liukin for a new limited edition credit card which shows the young athlete leaping gracefully across it. Bolt made every advertiser’s dream come true when he took off his gold Puma sneakers after the record-breaking race and held it high for the cameras to zoom in on the brand. Bolt can be sure that an avalanche of corporate sponsors are waiting to sign him on and carry on the fairytale ending.