The Nike "jinx" stretches right back to the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, when the hot favourite pole-vaulter Sergei Bubka failed to win a medal after a Nike poster had bragged about his prospects: "Spanish air traffic control has been notified".

BBC: England cricket team: The sponsorship gamble

Patrick became the first woman to win a pole and lead green-flag laps during NASCAR's season opener, sending her popularity to a new level.

NPR: Edwards Ends Long Drought At Phoenix

Aga made her own slice of history in 2007, becoming the first Pole to win a WTA singles title when as an 18-year-old she beat Russia's Vera Dushevina in Stockholm's Nordic Light Open.

CNN: Net gain