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Name a pole vaulter. Honestly, try naming any pole vaulter in history -- any gender, any nationality, any era.And, no, not a decathlete -- a pole vaulter.Got a name?Probably not. But for millions, the image of a photo might have flickered through your mind: that of a young woman standing in a white athletic top, her right arm extended behind her head to adjust her ponytail, her midriff showing, a pole resting across her shoulder. In the photo, which was taken in while she was in high school, Allison Stokke is looking off into the distance, clearly preparing for an attempt.The photo was posted in 2008 to a sports blog, along with the following text: Meet pole vaulter Allison Stokke... Hubba hubba and other grunting sounds.Within weeks, dozens of other blogs and message boards picked up the image. Calculating just how many people have seen the photo is impossible. But heres some anecdotal evidence to suggest that number is ridiculously high: the same week the image was posted online, Stokke opened up Facebook.She had infinity friend requests.The number of requests pouring into her account had broken Facebooks counting mechanism. Or consider this: the week after the photo appeared online, Cindy Stokke went to the neighborhood dry cleaner, where the woman behind the counter looked at her ticket, saw the last name and asked if she was related to the girl in the pole-vaulting picture.Yes, thats my daughter.Apparently everyone in Korea, where the store owner was from, was talking about the image.In the infamous photo, Stokke is competing in a high school meet. She is, in that moment, an athlete, just as she is now. The year the viral photo was taken, she was 17 years old and the best high school vaulter in the country. In the picture, she is strong, her body taut.Of course, thats not why the photo went viral -- not really. The image tore across the web because men thought she looked hot. Part of that hotness is certainly her strength, her body, which also helps make her a better pole vaulter.But lets not kid ourselves: very few people ogling the photo saw Stokke through the athlete prism. They saw sex. Hubba, hubba.The picture is like a Rubin vase for sports. What do you see when you look at the photo: a female athlete preparing to vault, or a sexy young woman striking a pose?If most people see only sex, even though Stokke was literally in the middle of a competition, and if she does not want to be a sex symbol and really loathes the idea, then how does she continue being an athlete? If society has intertwined those two identities, how does she go about being one without reinforcing the other?I feel like me and that picture are two different people, Stokke says. I feel it has taken on a life of its own. Its like that picture is my alter-ego and sometimes I feel like I use it for a positive force, and sometimes I just choose to leave it out there and not engage with it.What a strange space we launched her into -- and at age 18.Stokke is now 27, and shes still vaulting. In fact, last year, the Cal graduate moved from California to Phoenix, where shes training, working under a new coach and surrounded by the very best. She wanted to give herself the best chance to achieve her lifelong dream: making the Olympic team. The Southern California native briefly gave up her sport a few years ago, deciding she needed to move on and get her masters. But she quickly realized she wasnt yet done. She still wanted to try to twist her body over greater and greater heights.The USA Track & Field Olympic Trials are in Eugene, Oregon, on Friday. Stokke will be watching from the sidelines, as her 4.20 meter entry mark didnt meet the 4.50m minimum standard, but shell continue to train and compete.Its July of 2015, and Stokke is sitting in the back of a coffee shop in Orange County when the guy at the next table leans into her space. She catches the movement out of the corner of her eye. Her smile freezes; her hand tightens around her café au lait.I couldnt help but eavesdrop, he says, but were you talking about sports?She was, in fact. She was talking about why she first started vaulting (she grew out of gymnastics), her years at the University of California (2006 to 2010), the small international competitions in Europe where you rent a car and drive all night instead of paying for a hotel, and about chasing the 2016 Olympic dream.Stokke smiles in the mans direction without making eye contact and says: Yup!He waits for her to say more, then nods, satisfied, as if this is the coolest thing hes heard in a while, then he drifts back into his space.Stokke exhales.In the months after the picture went viral, photographers would kneel beneath her at meets, shooting upward as she stood on the runway before an attempt. Grown men would send postcards, with handwritten notes, to her home in California -- some of the sentiments were kind; some were not.When Stokke vaulted at Cal, the school removed her headshot from its website because men would constantly request a signed copy. And in the years immediately after the image went viral, she would often get asked to pose for pictures with men who couldnt believe they had run into the young woman from that super hot photo on the internet.Or with men who really could believe they had, because they orchestrated a meeting, attending the event just to take a picture with Stokke.So, no, its not an overblown reaction if Stokke builds an invisible wall when someone unexpectedly leans into her space. A lot of people have leaned into her space. And shes mostly chosen to stay still -- very still -- and wait for them to go away.Google her name -- its almost like she didnt exist between 2009 and 2014. At that point, I wasnt the best vaulter in the country, so why should I be getting that much attention? she says. It cut the other way, too, though. I think at some point Cal just decided: Dont put anything up about her. So even if I jumped high or won a meet, they wouldnt put up a picture or article, and thats actually the kind of recognition I would have liked to see.Even as a teenager, Stokke recognized her situation as a Catch-22. The attention she had garnered -- coverage by Glamour, offers from Maxim, calls to appear on The Today Show -- was disproportionate to her athletic achievements. Though she didnt yet have the language for her predicament, she sensed that waiting out the storm would be the best solution for her.Some people around her wondered why she didnt seize the moment: accept the spread in Maxim, the modeling contract, fly to New York to appear on the morning shows. Do all of it. After all, who knows if youll have the chance again?But the part never mentioned is that, once someone walks through that door, it snaps shut. Once a female athlete is publicly labeled beautiful, we offer her the world. But heres the trick: once she accepts it, we tear her apart, say shes exploiting and sexualizing herself. Oh, and we also say that shes not even that good, anyway.Ive never seen this viral thing happen to a male athlete who isnt also already the best at what they do, Stokke says. Yes, male athletes are also hailed for being incredibly attractive, but theyre usually top-ranked in the world, too.So Stokke kept fighting to become better.I think I saw her grow up faster, says her mom, Cindy. She saw how the world can be, saw how some people can be really cruel, some people can be great. I think she realized, I cant be so concerned about what everyone else thinks; I have to pursue my career and my dream and my sport.Stokke is not a victim.On this point, she is adamant, almost desperate. She did one print interview when this whole thing happened, with a magazine, and the energy conveyed by the piece was that Stokke was somehow wronged. Truth is: convincing people that unwanted attention from men isnt flattering -- and often also feels threatening -- is difficult.Stokke isnt good at being a victim. Shes an athlete; shes conditioned to mold herself to become whatever necessary. If she was going to be in the limelight, it was going to be because she was an athlete, and she knew that was about her looks, says Cindy. She wanted to be known for her ability to pole vault. Thats what she wanted.Says Stokke: At Cal, I wrote about it once for a Sociology class. We were supposed to write about some deep thing that affected you emotionally, and then you had the option to share, or not share and delete it. And I didnt share it. I deleted it. I wish I still had that somewhere, because I think it would be very different now.My response back then, in 2008 -- was I flattered? In some ways, sure. But I was overwhelmed, too. And I think my response to being overwhelmed was to just stay away from it entirely. But now, Im trying to figure out how to reclaim it and own it and push it in the right direction. And benefit from it -- in terms of fueling my training. And if I try to ignore it, it will take on a life of its own. Which is what I did in college: ignore it. And I lost control of my own story.In an earlier version of this story, we incorrectly said Stokke would be competing in the?USA Track & Field Olympic trials on July 8. Brett Favre Womens Jersey . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. John Cominsky Youth Jersey . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. 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Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman.Derek Carr threw for 513 yards and four touchdowns, including an overtime game-winner to Seth Roberts, as the Oakland Raiders beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-24. Carr completed 40 of his 59 pass attempts to break the Raiders single-game passing record in a victory that saw them improve to 6-2 on the season.They rallied from 10-0 down to lead on third quarter touchdown receptions from tackle Donald Penn and wideout Amari Cooper, only for the Bucs to regain the advantage when Jacquizz Rodgers scored from a yard. Mychal Rivera levelled the scores by getting on the end of Carrs third touchdown pass but Sebastian Janikowski to miss a late field goal attempt to win the game in regulation. Amari Cooper was one of the recipients of a Derek Carr touchdown pass Janikowski missed again from long range in overtime and a second tied game of the day appeared likely until, on fourth down with 1:55 left on the clock, Carr found Roberts, who broke a couple of tackles and scored from 42 yards to win the game for Oakland. Highlights of the Oakland Raiders overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Raiders also broke an NFL record for penalties in a single game, being flagged on 23 occasions for a total of 200 yards.Jonathan Stewart rushed for two touchdowns as the Carolina Panthers ended a four-game losing streak by beating the Arizona Cardinals 30-20. Jonathan Stewart plunges over for one of his two touchdowns Stewart rushed for 95 yards and scored the Panthers only two offensive scores as they stormed into a 24-0 lead which was kicked off by a fumble recovery touchdown for linebacker Thomas Davis. Highlights of the Carolina Panthers win over the Arizona Cardinals The Cardinals rallied with two touchdown passes from quarterback Carson Palmer to JJ Nelson and a third to John Brown but their comeback was too little too late.In the last of the 2016 London fixtures, the Washington Redskins tied 27 apiece with the Cincinnati Bengals, as Dustin Hopkins missed a game-winning field goal attempt. It was an exciting game at Wembley Stadium, as both Jamison Crowder and A.J Green went over 100 yards for their respective sides. Kirk Cousins had a career day, throwing for 458 yards but it wasnt enough as the pressure got to Hopkins, who pulled his kick wide. Highlights of the 3rd International Series match between the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley The Kansas City Chiefs overcame an injury to quarterback Alex Smith in a 30-14 road win over the Indianapolis Colts. Travis Kelce celebrates his score against the Colts Smith suffered a concussion early in the game but did return before getting hurt again after he had linked up with Jeremy Maclin for a 13-yard touchdown. Highlights of the Kansas City Chiefs win over the Indianapolis Colts Nick Foles ended up throwing a pair of touchdowns to Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, with the Colts dropping to 3-5 after a disappointing offensive display. Lamar Miller scored one of Houstons TDs in win over Detroit The Houston Texans improved to 5-3 with a 20-13 win over the Detroit Lions in a game where neither side was able to muster more than 300 yards of net offence. Highlights of the Houston Texans win over the Detroit Lions Brock Osweiler threw a touchdown pass to tight end CJ Fiedorowicz and Lamar Miller rushed for their only other score, but the Lions could answer with only one touchdown of their own, a Matthew Stafford pass to Theo Riddick. Drew Brees dives over the Seahawks defence for a touchdown Drew Brees accounted for two scores as the New Orleans Saints bounced back from a 14-3 deficit to beat the Seattle Seahawks 25-20.dddddddddddd Highlights of the New Orleans Saints win over the Seattle Seahawks Brees and Brandin Cooks linked up for a two-yard touchdown to claim the lead after the Saints quarterback had earlier jumped over a pile of defenders to score from a yard on the ground.The Seahawks had led thanks to an Earl Thomas fumble recovery touchdown and a one-yard rushing score from Christine Michael, but their second half offence could only muster a pair of Steven Hauschka field goals. Matt Forte is congratulated after scoring the first of his two touchdowns for the Jets There was more agony for the Cleveland Browns, who gave up a 20-7 half-time lead to the New York Jets and now have an 0-8 record after losing 31-28. Highlights of the New York Jets win over the Cleveland Browns Andrew Hawkins and Isaiah Crowell scored first-half touchdowns for the Browns, but the Jets offence finally showed up after half-time, with Matt Forte and Ryan Fitzpatrick to the fore.Fitzpatrick only completed three of his first 15 passes but he would connect with Quincy Enunwa for a 24-yard score before Forte took over with a pair of touchdown runs. Hawkins second score deep in the fourth quarter came too late for the Browns.It was a vintage defensive performance from the Denver Broncos who made it a rough night for Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers, running out 27-19 winners to move to 6-2 for the season. Rivers was sacked four times and threw three interceptions, including one which was returned for a 49 yard touchdown by Bradley Robey.Without C.J Anderson, who was ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery, the Broncos rushed for just 58 yards, but did manage two touchdowns on the run through Devontae Booker and Juwan Thompson. Highlights of the Denver Broncos win over the San Diego Chargers The Atlanta Falcons scored a last minute touchdown to beat the Green Bay Packers 33-32 and snap a two game losing streak. It was Mohamed Sanu that caught the winning pass from Matt Ryan, after Packers QB Aaron Rodgers had earlier thrown four touchdown receptions. Highlights of the Atlanta Falcons win over the Green Bay Packers Jason Witten scored his first touchdown in overtime to hand the Dallas Cowboys a 29-23 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Dez Bryant marked his return to the team with 113 yards and a touchdown. Jason Witten celebrates after scoring the game-winning touchdown for the Dallas Cowboys against the Philadelphia Eagles The Dallas defence forced four turnovers in a tough loss for Philadelphia, who found themselves ten points ahead at the start the fourth quarter. Highlights of the Dallas Cowboys win over the Philadelphia Eagles Our live NFL coverage continues on Sky Sports with Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 12.15am on Monday night. Chicago Bears v Minnesota Vikings November 1, 2016, 12:15am Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass Also See: VOTE: NFL week 10 game choice Redskins and Bengals tie WATCH: Hopkins misses decider Dolphins v Saints in London ' ' '