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Hurdle star Michelle Jenneke gains popularity at Gwangju Universiade

Hurdle star Michelle Jenneke gains popularity at Gwangju Universiade

Posted July. 08, 2015 07:06,   

한국어

“We also want to see her soon.”

The athlete that volunteers and members of the organizing committee at the 2015 Universiad Games in Gwangju want to see more than anyone else is Michelle Jenneke, 22, a track and field athlete from Australia. A source at the committee said, “Many volunteers wait outside the training site to take a photo with her.”

Jenneke displayed unique warming-up acts, looking as if she was dancing by waving her waist prior to competition at the World Junior Athletic Championship in Barcelona, Spain in 2012. The footage was uploaded on YouTube and recorded more than 27 million page views. As a result, she became a popular model for all different pictorials, including a swimsuit model for Sports Illustrated, a U.S. magazine, in 2013.

Jenneke, who is majoring in mechatronics at the University of Sydney in Australia, said, “It is not easy to pursue athletic career and study together. However, if there are many sports competitions in a semester, I take fewer credits and adjust my study schedules.”

Jenneke started to stand out by winning two gold medals including those in the 100-meter hurdle and 400-meter relay races at the Junior Athletic Championship in Australia, and the silver medal at 100-meter hurdle at the Youth Olympics in Singapore in 2010. She suffered a short slump in 2012, but set her personal record of 12:82 seconds in 100-meter hurdle by breaking the 13-second mark for the first time in March this year. In Australia, she is nicknamed “Post Pearson,” who will succeed Sally Pearson, 29, the gold medalist of 100-meter hurdle at the 2012 Olympics in London. She said, “Pearson gives me lots of inspiration. Thus far, there was no athlete who can be a match for her, but due to my emergence, she also seems to be enjoying.”

Jenneke will participate at women’s 100-meter hurdle at the Gwangju Universiad Stadium on Friday. Since she has the second best record among the 23 runners, she is considered a potential winner in the race.



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