Allison Stokke: How a viral photo nearly ruined her career

At just 17, Allison Stokke set the internet on fire with a picture of her pole vaulting. But what exactly happened?

Born in Newport Beach, California (USA), on March 22, 1989, Allison Stokke wanted to dedicate herself to pole vaulting after entering the world of gymnastics. She was very talented despite her age and was on the path to becoming one of the best vaulters in the country.

While she attended Newport Harbor High School, Stokke won the American Pole Vault Championship title in 2004. She obtained the record of 3.81 meters (12.5ft). That same year, she became the California state champion.

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Sadly, those great achievements faded into the background after her image went viral online. Almost everyone on the internet knew who Allison Stokke was.

Blogger Matt Ufford was the first to spread her images online, which sparked controversial conversations left and right. He titled his post "Pole Vaulting is Sexy, Barely Legal."

Nevertheless, her internet fame was slowly becoming a burden. Her images would travel from blog post to blog post, fueling the rhetoric that sexualized her in the first place. Her stunning physique shadowed her great set of athletic skills.

According to Tie Breaker, Allison Stokke tried to steer people away from sexualizing her physique and appreciate her vaulting skills. The American athlete released a video on YouTube that only backfired as her fans only echoed more sexualizing comments.

During an interview for the Washington Post, the American athlete underlined her frustration with her lack of recognition and how people simply ignore the sport. Mainstream media like CNN went off to spin the story of why young people should stay away from the internet.

Completely overwhelmed by the situation, young Allison Stokke went several weeks without leaving her house. According to the Spanish publication El Español, Stokke overcame her fears and allowed fame to fade away with time to live a normal life again.

Allison Stokke continued pole vaulting, attending the University of California-Berkeley, where she studied Sociology. She joined the California Golden Bears pole-vaulting team.

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In this new stage of her life, she competed at the highest level in the United States and even came close to qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics.

Stokke now combined the life of a professional athlete with that of a sportswear model, representing well-known brands such as Nike, Gap, GoPro, and Uniqlo.

Her image is still highly regarded on the internet, where she continues to be active. On Instagram alone, she has more than 650,000 followers.

Allison Stokke was going to be the protagonist in the Red Bull TV documentary 'Two Roads', which focuses on the long and complicated road to success as an athlete.

The documentary dedicated to her presents her in a peculiar way. "For pole vaulter Allison, being authentic to her own passions and embracing her life's path are the only ways to move forward. Her journey has been both internal and external, trading the glamor of Internet stardom for the loneliness of clue".

In 2016, she began a romantic relationship with the Californian golfer Rickie Fowler, whom she married in 2019. That same year, their daughter Maya was born. Now they currently live in Florida, far from her native California.

In fact, it is common to see Allison Stokke on the golf courses accompanying Fowler, for whom she has even caddied on occasions.

Allison Stokke managed to overcome the blow that the darkest side of the internet gave her and today, through her social networks, she has become a voice for the young athletes of her country, encouraging them to achieve their dreams by fleeing from everything bad that surrounds them.

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