U.S. dancer, Aussie man named pole champs

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TOKYO, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A pole dancer from Utah and an Australian fireman were dubbed the world champions at the 2010 International Pole Championship in Tokyo.

Zoraya Judd was named Pole Athlete of the Year by a panel of judges Thursday from the American Pole Fitness Association, The Sun reported Friday.

Meanwhile, the men's competition was topped by Duncan West of Sydney. West said he previously trained as an acrobat and only began with the pole about 11 months ago, Australia's National Nine News reported.

"It's a really good feeling, because I don't think of myself as a natural performer. To change styles and to be able to look out at the audience is a fairly huge step," he said.

The competition came amid a push within the pole-dancing community to get their event into the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, The Sun reported.