Michell Jenneke takes break from hurdling after admitting ‘politics’ have left her exhausted

“EXHAUSTED from it all”: Michelle Jenneke will take a break from hurdling after admitting that things behind the scenes are starting to get to her.

Michelle Jenneke is taking a break from hurdling.

MICHELLE Jenneke will take a break from hurdling after admitting the politics of the past 18 months have left her exhausted.

Jenneke placed fourth in Friday night’s Commonwealth Games 100m hurdles final that sorely lacked the star power of the injured Sally Pearson.

As she did in the heats, the 24-year-old had her bounce back in the title race and a strong start suggested it might have converted into bronze. But as much as she lapped up the crowd, it was those very fans who spiked her adrenaline just a bit too much.

Michelle Jenneke came fourth in the 100m hurdles.

“I got way too close to the hurdles and had to pull up and lost a lot of momentum there,” Jenneke said.

“It’s bittersweet. I’m pretty disappointed with the time and my position.”

Jenneke finished in 13.07 seconds, 0.08 slower than her heat, behind Nigerian winner Oluwatobiloba Amusan (12.68), and Jamaican minor medallists Jamaicans Danielle Williams and Yanique Thompson.

She said she’d had hardly had anything to do with Pearson this week even though the reigning world champion has been mentoring compatriot Brianna Beahan, who placed fifth in the final in 13.11.

And she revealed she had struggled for motivation to compete on the Gold Coast, conceding to being “pretty exhausted from it all”.

That included a high load of competitions along with the controversy that followed her Rio Olympics campaign where she bombed out in the heats and was accused of being unfit and lacking focus by team coach Craig Hilliard.

Michelle Jenneke was accused of being unfit at the Rio Olympics.

“I really just need a break,” she said.

“Two weeks ago my motivation to run out here was pretty low. “I had to pull it together in the last two weeks just because the past 18 months have been quite draining.

“Not really the training side of it ... it’s the other side of the sport that’s really been getting to me. All the political stuff.”

Jenneke said she would return to hurdling in time for a tilt at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Originally published as Michell Jenneke takes break from hurdling after admitting ‘politics’ have left her exhausted