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Written by Svilen PetrovJanuary 20, 2025

Australian hurdler Michelle Jenneke

Michelle Jenneke is a talented Australian hurdler and model. She gained fame by winning a silver medal in the 100m hurdles at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. In 2016, she solidified her reputation by winning the 100m hurdles at the Australian Athletics Championships, which earned her a place in the Rio 2016 Olympics. Michelle set her personal best in the 100m hurdles at 12.66 seconds during the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon.

Born on June 23, 1993, in Kenthurst, New South Wales, Australia, Michelle started training as a hurdler at the age of 10 with coach Mick Zisti at the Cherrybrook Athletics Club. She displayed her talent early on by competing in the 90m and 200m hurdles at the 2008 Pacific School Games in Canberra.

In 2010, Michelle Jenneke achieved a significant milestone by finishing first in the 100m hurdles and breaking the national record in the women’s sprint medley relay at the Australian Junior Championships. She also took part in the 2011 Pirtek Athletic Allstars event. As a member of Australia’s team at the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games, she competed in both the 100m hurdles and the women’s medley relay. In the hurdles event, she secured second place with a personal best time of 13.46 seconds, having won her heat, while the medley relay team finished in fourth place. Notably, her performance in the hurdles earned Australia its first athletics medal at the Games.

In 2011, Michelle Jenneke garnered several gold medals in the 100m hurdles. She emerged victorious at the Hastings Sylvia Potts Classic, the Sydney NSW Junior Championships, the Sydney Waratah Series, and the Sydney Australian Junior Championships. Additionally, she achieved a third-place finish at both the Melbourne Australian Open Championships and the Perth Track Classic.

The following year, in 2012, Jenneke ranked fifth in the 100m hurdles at the IAAF World Junior Championships. After the competition, a video highlighting her performance during the heats race was shared on a video-sharing platform, significantly boosting her international recognition. She also claimed titles at the Sydney Australian Junior Championships and the Sydney NSW Open Championships.

Michelle Jenneke has been chosen to represent Australia in the 2014 Commonwealth Games. She finished sixth in the finals with a time of 13.36 and was the youngest contender. She is the second-fastest female 100m hurdler in Australian history. During the season, she won gold medals in the 100m hurdles in the Sydney NSW Club Championships, Canberra AACT Championships, Brisbane Queensland Track Classic, Cardiff Welsh Athletics International, Sydney Australian University Games, and Brisbane QA All-Comers Meet.

In 2015, she continued to shatter records in Australia and won more gold medals in the 100m hurdles. She won awards in the Sydney Illawong Twilight Meet, Canberra Track Classic, Perth Jandakot City Track Classic, and Canberra AACT Championships, among other events.

Michelle Jenneke finished 10th in the 2016 World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon, representing Australia. The following month, she won the Australian National Championship 100-meter hurdles final in 12.93 seconds, qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Jenneke participated in the Olympics in August but failed to go beyond the heats, finishing sixth with a time of 13.26. She would have required a near-personal best to qualify, as the third fastest time in her heat was 12.85.

Michelle Jenneke participated in her second World Championships in 2017, advancing through the heats to reach the semi-finals, where she placed 7th with a time of 13.250. To qualify for the final, she would have needed a performance close to her personal best, as the second-fastest time in her semi-final was 12.85.

In 2018, she represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games, securing a fourth-place finish with a time of 13.07, following a strong qualifying run of 12.99.

Michelle Jenneke competed in the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Athletics held in Doha where she placed 7th in the semifinals. During the season she won titles at several events including the Memorial Geert Rasschaert Bayer-Classics UniSport Nationals Athletics Queensland International Track Classic NSW Championships AACT Championships and Hunter Track Classic.

Michelle Jenneke did not compete much during the 2020 season but made her comeback to the track in 2021. She earned a silver medal at the Super Summer Series in Canberra and also at the Sally Pearson Shield in Brisbane.

In 2022 she participated in the World Athletics Championships. However she placed 5th in the semi-finals and did not get a chance to compete for a medal. Throughout the year she earned a silver medal at both the Oceania Athletics Championships and the Queensland Championships.

Michelle Jenneke competed in the 100m hurdles event at the Budapest World Athletics Championships in 2023, but did not overcame the semi-finals. During the season she competed at the Doha and Stockholm Diamond League, but finished only 7th in both meetings. However, she won the silver at the prestigious ISTAF in Berlin, Mondeville Meeting and ORLEN Cup Lodz 2023. Locally, she triumphed with the gold at the Sydney Track Classic and Brisbane Track Classic, as well as Brisbane Australian Championships.

In 2024, Michelle Jenneke was part of the Australian team in 100m hurdles for the Paris Olympics. However, she did not overcame the heats. Earlier in the season, she competed at the Glasgow World Athletics Indoor Championships, but again did not reached the finals. She won the gold at the Adelaide Australian Championships, the silver at the Sydney Track Classic and Motonet GP Kuortane.