Arguably the two most recognizable athletes at the 2016 Rio Olympics, both Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps' net worth appear to rise with each race they enter. Here we take a look at the endorsements, deals and career earnings each athlete has amassed over the years.

Phelps Cashing In

Celebrity Net Worth estimates a net worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $55 million for the 31-year-old swim star Michael Phelps who insists these Games will be his final lap.

Even if all the retirement talk prove to be, that hardly figures to be the end of Phelps' public persona. Over the years, he's held endorsement deals with the likes of Visa Inc., Subway, Wheaties, and Louis Vuitton.

More recently, he's added Under Armour Inc., Omega, Master Spas, Sol Republic headphones, and Aqua Sphere to his portfolio, which stands to soon expand even more given his Rio showing.

Now competing in his fifth Olympics, Phelps has already added to his overall medal count of 27, including an unprecedented 23 golds.

The 29-year-old Bolt is right on his heels. The most decorated sprinter in Olympic history easily won his opening 100-meter heat and medaling in his signature event now almost seems as sure of a thing as him leaving Rio even more famous than he was when he came.

Where Forbes Ranks Bolt and Sponsors

Long deemed the fastest man in the world with six Olympic gold medals to prove it, Bolt's otherworldly speed recently landed him No. 32 on Forbes list of the world's highest paid celebrities.

Currently, his net worth is estimated to be somewhere in the vicinity of $60 million, the bulk of it stemming from endorsement deals that have earned him at least $32.5 million over the last two years.

Among his biggest deals are pacts with Puma, Hublot, Virgin Media, Visa and Nissan. He also recently launched his own shaving company, called Champion Shave. Bolt is rumored to retire after this year's Olympic Games and he has even more in store in terms of business and other plans that will undoubtedly increase his net worth significantly.

While both Olympians do not compete in the same sport they both are the fastest in their respective disciplines and have their legacies already cemented in history.

The area in which they can be compared however is in the area of net worth. In light of the games, the publication was prompted to briefly look at their current earnings, endorsements, businesses and relevant investments. 

Scheduled to also compete in the 200-meter and the 4×100-meter relay in Rio, Bolt's pile of endorsement pacts could soon be on the rise, some of the campaigns choreographed around the potential phenomenon of him winning three straight Olympic titles.