Even if you’re not a fan of athletics or other sports, you’ve probably heard of Australian hurdler Michelle Jenneke from the energetic 2012 warm-up video that spread across the Internet. The video was viewed nearly 20 million times a week after it was posted on the internet and was even featured on the nightly talk show The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Since then, the media have been on guard against what would come next from the Australian athlete. So who exactly is Michelle Jenneke? Here are all the things you need to know about her.
Who is Michelle Jenneke?
Michelle Jenneke is an Australian hurdler and model. Jenneke was born on June 23rd, 1993 in Kenthurst, New South Wales, Australia, and has been interested in sports since she was a child. She attended the Hills Gymnasium. Her sports interests included soccer and handball, but at the age of 10 she started training as a hurdler under coach Mick Zisti and soon she started competing.
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At the 2008 Pacific School Games in Canberra, Jenneke took part in the 90-meter and 200-meter hurdles. At the Youth Olympic Games 2010 in Singapore, she started to gain recognition. Before the Games, she broke the Australian record for the women’s 100-meter sprint medley relay at the Australian Junior Championships.
Shelly, as she is known, was impressed during the 89th Australian Athletics Championships in April 2011 when she finished second behind world champion Sally Pearson in the 100m hurdles.
Michelle Jenneke may have finished fifth in the 100m hurdles at the 2012 World Junior Athletics Championships in Barcelona, but her warm-up routine just before the race made her a worldwide celebrity. A clip of the routine, where she jumps up while swinging her hips from side to side, broke the Internet. As a result, Jenneke attracted a lot of media attention and was nicknamed Jiggling Jenneke.
The photo entertainment website The Chive then featured her in a short comic video entitled Forever Alone Meets Michelle Jenneke, in which she played a role that referred to her viral warm-up video before the race.
Jenneke has since revealed a lot about the dance and said she started it when she was 16 years old to get rid of jitters and fears before the race. Jenneke has also pointed out that she never made the movements in order to gain the attention of the media. Nevertheless, the viral video opened the floodgates of sponsorship contracts and media appearances. She earned herself an entry in the 2013 issue of Sports Illustrated and ranked 10th in the AskMen ranking of the 99 most desirable women.
Jenneke turned down the offer to appear on the jungle reality show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, but Jenneke continued to make progress on the sporting side of things. At the Australian National Championship in April 2016, she won the 100-meter hurdles to book a place on the Australian team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.
Shelly caused a lot of media coverage in the run-up to the Olympics as Coca-Cola had selected her to participate in the worldwide Olympic campaign in Rio. Her face was stuck on huge billboards in the streets of Brazil. The performance also included a promotional video shot in Barcelona, where Jenneke performed her famous warm-up dance.
Unfortunately, Jennecke’s performance at the Olympic Games was disappointing. She couldn’t get over the heat and finished 6th. Consequently, she received many back reactions, especially from the Australian head coach Craig Hilliard, who noticed that she was not in shape when she arrived in Rio.
Jenneke, who took the criticism lightly, later revealed that her lackluster performance was due to a leg injury she sustained during training. After Rio, her $8,000 grant was cut by the Australian government, but Jenneke was not deterred. She worked hard enough to represent Australia at the Commonwealth Games in April 2018, where she finished 4th in the 100m hurdles.
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Jenneke’s flop in Rio did little or nothing to discourage the sponsoring partners. When she attended the Commonwealth Games, she signed a contract to reappoint Blistex Lip Balm as their brand ambassador. She also had Puma supply her equipment.
Michelle Jenneke divided her time between her sports career and a degree in mechatronics (a combination of mechanical and electrical engineering) at the University of Sydney.
Her Boyfriend
Michelle Jenneke is one of those private ones. Despite the requests from fans she has never spoken about her love life and has never been seen with anyone. Therefore the chances are good that she is single. I keep my fingers crossed that she may tell the world when she finds her special someone. In April 2018 it was announced that she was being considered for a spot on the reality TV show “The Bachelorette”.
Height, Body Measurements
The body measurements of every athlete have a certain influence on his performance and Jenneke makes sure that he stays fit by combining the right nutrition with sports.
In her interview with Body and Soul in 2018, Jenneke reveals that she has to eat about 6 times a day and exercise 5 times a week. Her weekly routine includes 3 training sessions on the track and 2 in the gym. Jenneke does all this to keep fit and, of course, to maintain her body weight of 147 pounds. She is 1.20 meters and 8 centimeters tall. Her banana-shaped body measures 36-26-36 (inches).
