Olympic bronze medalist Monica Aksamit crowdfunded more than $28,000 on GoFundMe to help her pursue her dream of returning to the Olympics in 2020.

Aksamit also crowdfunded her way to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro after racking up credit card debt paying for her journey on her own. Now she wants to head to Tokyo to win another medal.

Aksamit that the cost of training and traveling to competitions is overwhelming, especially in a niche sport like fencing.

She told Insider that she's been living at home and due to her competitive training schedule, it's been impossible to hold a steady job.

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An Olympic medal-winning fencer started a GoFundMe to raise money to pursue her dream of going to the 2020 games in Tokyo, and she's already raised more than $28,000.

Monica Aksamit, 29, of Morganville, New Jersey, told Insider, that the cost of training and traveling to competitions is overwhelming, especially in a niche sport like fencing.

She told Insider that she's been living at home and due to her competitive training schedule, it's been impossible to hold a steady job.

"Unfortunately, with fencing being such a niche sport, even a Olympic bronze medal doesn't guarantee you a sponsor. The money that I have earned through small social media campaigns has been going to the debt that I have from trying to qualify for the 2016 Olympics," she wrote on her GoFundMe page.

Aksamit, who started fencing when she was 9 years old, said she spent $12,000 traveling for last year's World Cup and $2,500 on national tournaments.

She commutes four to five times a week from New Jersey to Manhattan for training, has to pay for travel, hotels, and visas during tournaments, and has to pay for competitions.

Aksamit says athletes in lots of niche sports struggle to pay their own way

PSU vs Michigan tomorrow @ halftime, I’ll be waving to you 👋🏼♥️ #pennstate #psu #weare A post shared by 🇺🇸MONICA AKSAMIT🇵🇱 (@monicaaksamit) on Oct 18, 2019 at 11:57am PDT Oct 18, 2019 at 11:57am PDT

"I'm definitely not the only one," she told Insider, adding that athletes in sports like judo and taekwondo are likely also struggling with finances.

Inc. Magazine reported in 2016 that more than 100 Olympic hopefuls were crowdfunding on GoFundMe ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

Aksamit also crowdfunded her way to Rio de Janeiro after racking up credit card debt paying for her journey on her own.

"There were so many moments were I almost quit," she said of the intense financial pressure she was under. "The year before Rio I was coaching, refereeing, and training myself so I was in a fencing gym almost every day of the week... I ended up having mild depression. I was kind of just burnt out."

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After winning a team medal in Brazil, she thought she'd be more financially secure.

"I saw so many people kill it with social media with their following," she told Insider. "So I was like, I medaled, I'm an Olympian, things should be easier. Then I found out that's wrong. It's a niche sport and just because I have a medal that means literally nothing."

She wants another Olympic win in Tokyo

@neilgavinphoto with the incredible shots (as always) 🤺🔥🔥🔥 A post shared by 🇺🇸MONICA AKSAMIT🇵🇱 (@monicaaksamit) on Sep 19, 2019 at 12:03pm PDT Sep 19, 2019 at 12:03pm PDT

Now that she's raised enough money for her training, she feels more secure as she competes for a spot in Tokyo — and is hoping to win an individual medal.

"The team medal is amazing, and there's an incredible atmosphere, but having the opportunity to compete not only for the USA on your back but your own last name, is something completely different," she told Insider.

To qualify for the Tokyo Games, Aksamit has to compete in competitions in Kansas City, Salt Lake City, and Charlotte, and take part in six European tournaments, according to Newsweek.

"Now I don't have to worry as much about traveling and training," she told The New York Post. "It takes so much stress off."