Michelle Jenneke

Michelle Jenneke, born on June 23, 1993, in Kenthurst, New South Wales, began her athletics training at the age of 10 with coach Mick Zisti. She competed for Cherrybrook Little Athletics Club. In 2010, at 17, she won a gold medal in the 100m hurdles at the Australian Junior Championships and set a national record in the women’s sprint medley relay. That same year, she secured a silver medal in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. Jenneke also earned gold medals in the 100m hurdles and 4x100m relay, along with a bronze in the 100m sprint, at the Oceania Youth Championships. She was a finalist at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Barcelona, where her pre-race warm-up dance routine gained significant media attention, leading to her viral status as the “Dancing Hurdler.”

Following an injury in 2013, Jenneke made her senior international debut in 2014, reaching the final at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Throughout 2015, she significantly improved her personal best in the 100m hurdles, lowering it to 12.82 seconds, making her the second-fastest Australian hurdler at the time. She also advanced to the semi-final at the 2015 World Championships and secured a bronze medal at the 2015 World University Games. In 2016, she won her first National 100m hurdles title, achieving an Olympic qualifying time of 12.93, and subsequently competed at the Rio Olympics. She continued to perform consistently, reaching the semi-finals at the 2017 World Championships and placing fourth at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Her career includes five consecutive World Championships appearances and seven global semi-final qualifications, with her personal best time of 12.65 in 2024 ranking her as the second-fastest Australian woman in the 100m hurdles.