When she was seventeen, one of her pictures went viral

Allison Stokke has made a name for herself as a gifted pole vaulter and fitness model, but this hasn’t always been the case. When she was just seventeen years old, she went viral, and not for reasons of her own choosing.

When you’re an athlete, you obviously want to be famous simply for being the best, preferably without any scandals or negativity related to your private life. Athletes are all about sports, hard work, and talent. Still, athletes may run into situations that turn their entire lives upside down, leading them to garner fame for all the wrong reasons. This is exactly what happened to Allison Stokke when she was seventeen years old.

During her time in high school, Allison discovered her passion for pole vaulting. Even during her education, people had great expectations for her. There was even talk about pole vaulting at the absolute highest level and participating in prestigious tournaments. Ultimately, she got her place in the spotlight for vastly different reasons.

Hard work. That’s all Stokke focussed on, hoping to make a name for herself for her amazing athletic feats. When she’d only just started earning her marks in pole vaulting in 2004, she immediately reached huge succes, as she broke a record with a jump measuring 3,86 metres. This achievement was the single highest jump ever by a fifteen year old American.

Of course, Stokke’s performance in 2004 was only a precursor to very promising career. Despite this strong start, the career path she had in mind would turn out to be not quite so simple.

As a top athlete, your entire life revolves around working towards that one particular match or tournament. And when it’s done, you start all over again. The main difference being that expectations are even higher. The same held true for Stokke: while her 2004 record was very impressive, it was really only the beginning.