100 Olympic Athletes To Watch
From Australia to Zimbabwe, China to the U.S., TIME takes you on a world tour to introduce you to the most compelling athletes you'll be seeing in the Beijing Games
Pole Vault
United States
Age: 26
On a whim, Stuczynski abandoned her plans for an advanced psychology degree to try the pole vault for a living. She stocked shelves in her dad's grocery store to finance the dream. She should have seen a shrink, right? Well, within 10 months, Stuczynski reached a world class level, and last year became the first American woman to clear 16 feet. She will challenge Yelena Isinbayeva, the defending Olympic champ and world record holder, in Beijing. A former basketball player who averaged more than 24 points per game her senior year of college, Stuczynski still trains in rustic conditions: she practices in two pushed-together Quonset huts in her coach's upstate New York backyard.
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