Jenneke’s last Olympic dance has ended with a torn hamstring

Michelle Jenneke has likely danced at her last Olympics after a torn hamstring decimated her hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals of the 100m hurdles

Michelle Jenneke has jiggled at her last Olympics but she insists Paris will not be her last dance. Jenneke, whose plans to make a final in the 100m hurdles were undone by a torn hamstring, says she still has unfinished business at the elite level.

She will go home, lick her wounds and mount a comeback after her second Olympic campaign was shattered when she fell in the heats of the hurdles.

Jenneke, having struggled through the repechage in last place, revealed that she had been diagnosed with a semitendinosus rupture after her fall the day before.

Michelle Jenneke’s hopes of making the 100m hurdles final was brought undone by injury. Picture: Getty Images

In other words, a tear to one of the three tendons that make up the hamstring. She insisted on running in the repechage anyway but laboured at the back of the field as she finished in 20.85s.

“I’m really proud of myself,” Jenneke said.

“So we discovered yesterday afternoon that what actually happened as I was going over that first hurdle, I ruptured one of my hamstring tendons.

“So it’s a full rupture. That hamstring is no longer attached. So I ran today with one less hamstring than usual - and obviously that was pretty difficult.

“My first thought when I got that result, I said to the doctor, can I still run? I didn’t want my Olympic campaign to end that way.

“I really just wanted to give it my all today. I knew that making that semi-final - running under 12 seconds missing one of your hamstrings is pretty impossible - but I just wanted to prove to myself and I guess to the rest of Australia that I’ve got some grit in me and I’m not going to give up easily.”

Michelle Jenneke fell during her 100m hurdles heat. Picture: Getty Images

Brought to you by

Jenneke did that as she laboured down the straight at Stade de France. It brought an end to an Olympic campaign that began with promise and ended with pain.

It also continued Jenneke’s tempestuous relationship with the greatest sporting show on earth. Eight years ago when she made her Olympic bow in Rio, Jenneke arrived as one of the most hyped athletes in Australia - she shared an advertising billboard with Usain Bolt during the Games - thanks to her pre-race dance routine.

She departed in the crosshairs after being criticised over her fitness and questioned over her commitment. Three years ago she missed the team for Tokyo but she has steadily improved her times and even her most ardent critics concede she is now a legitimate athlete, having arrived in Paris in the best shape of her career.

Michelle Jenneke conceded her Olympic days are likely over. Picture: Getty Images

Injury ended any hopes of a finals appearance and at 31, Jenneke concedes her Olympic days are likely over.

“Going another four years is probably a little unrealistic,” Jenneke said.

“But I don’t feel like I’m done yet. So the plan is to go home, get this right, and I’ll be back. Honestly, everyone was pretty on board with me running today.

“I think everyone understood, it’s the Olympics and you do everything you can to show up on that start line. It’s just hard to hurdle without a hamstring.“

Fellow Australians Liz Clay (12.94s) and Celeste Mucci (13.05s) also failed to make it out of the repechage heats. Fittingly, Jenneke signed off with one last dance.

“Look, I’m always going to have a good time when I’m racing,” Jenneke said.

“I’m like the crowd here is insane and I just stood out there and I was soaking it all. I was having a great time, honestly, despite everything that was going on with my body. “I was always going to do it because that’s what I do when I’m enjoying myself.”