Michelle Jenneke: More than just a ’jiggle’

SHE amassed worldwide fame for her pre-race warm-up “jiggle”, but the 24-year-old champion Australian sprint hurdler wants to prove that she is capable of so much more.

Michelle Jenneke: “People can be very quick to build you up and then cut you down, but they don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes.” (Picture: Getty)

MICHELLE Jenneke is an Ocsober Ambassador as well as Olympic sprint hurdler. Read her fascinating story below, and get registering for Ocsober.

I was always a very sporty kid – pretty much any sport I could try, I would do. When I was nine years old, I signed up for Little Athletics. I didn’t train that year, I was just competing. Hurdles was always my favourite event, even though I wasn’t particularly good at it back then!

I started training the next year; only one day a week, but I was 10 years old. At that age I still wasn’t anything special – I didn’t think so, anyway. I wasn’t thinking about a career in sport or representing my country.

Michelle Jenneke did not progress beyond her Rio heat: “People can be very quick to build you up and then cut you down.”

Michelle Jenneke and her pre-race routine. Picture: Instagram: @mjenneke93

It wasn’t until I made my first Australian team in the Youth Olympic Games in 2010, at age 17, that I realised I could compete professionally.

My family is incredibly supportive of my career. Not just my parents and my sister, but also my grandparents, my uncles, my aunts – all of them. They come out to every international competition. I’m so lucky to have them; I love making them proud of me.

At the World Junior Championships in Barcelona in 2012, I did my usual pre-race warm-up dance, which quickly went viral around the world. I was very surprised, especially since I’d been doing that warm-up dance since 2009!

I can’t explain why it became so popular. I found it funny people were interested in what I was doing. I still get asked to do the dance, but I generally like to leave it to when I’m on the track. It’s not something I feel any pressure to do when I’m out there… that’s just what I like to do. It gets me into a good physical and mental space.

There was a lot of criticism of my warm-up routine at the 2016 Olympics – the fact I did it yet I didn’t progress beyond my heat.

That kind of criticism can be hard. People can be very quick to build you up and then cut you down, but they don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. All they see is when you get out there on that track. A range of factors go on that affect performance.

People think that by doing my dance I’m trying to draw attention to myself. I’m not. It’s just what I do when I’m on the start line. I’m not going to change who I am or what I’m doing because people view it one way or another.

Michelle Jenneke features in Stellar magazine.

I know that when I get out there I’m doing my best. If I’m happy with myself and my preparation, then I try not to let what other people say faze me.

Michelle Jenneke is an ambassador of Ocsober, a campaign that encourages adults to “lose the booze” in October. Money raised from Ocsober goes towards Life Education, Australia’s largest charity provider of health education for children at schools nationally, empowering them to make healthier lifestyle choices. Get registering now! More info at ocsober.com.au.

Michelle’s tips for how to cut back on drinking for Ocsober

1. Find something to keep yourself motivated like a daily, weekly or monthly reward.

2. Make water your “go to” drink and ensure that you stay hydrated.

3. It’s easier without temptation around, so encourage your friends and family

to also cut down on the booze.

Originally published as Michelle Jenneke: More than just a ’jiggle’