Every four years, thousands of Olympians compete in the summer games. A handful proudly bring home medals for their countries, but an even smaller amount go on to become household names. That’s the realm silver-medal winning Australian hurdler Michelle Jenneke occupies even though this is her first year at the Olympics. However, it has little to do with her athletic ability and everything to do with a dance.
During the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics, Jenneke was caught on camera dancing during her pre-warmup before the 100 m hurdles race. Jenneke placed fifth, but it was her warmup that caught the internet’s attention. Her dance, which is filled with hip shakes and peppy jumps, quickly went viral. According to NY Daily News, the original video of Jenneke’s dance was soon taken down and, in true internet fashion, replaced with a remixed version complete with pop music. To date that remixed version has over 28 million views on YouTube. Since that viral day, Jenneke has now qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics and will be competing in the women’s 100 m hurdles tomorrow. So let’s break it down. Who is Michelle Jenneke, what has she done since that much discussed dance, and why is she so controversial?
WHO IS MICHELLE JENNEKE?
Jenneke is an accomplished Australian hurdler and model. She won a silver medal for the 100m hurdles during the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics when she was 18. This year is her first time competing in the Olympics.
WHAT TIME IS MICHELLE JENNEKE RACING AT THE RIO 2016 OLYMPICS?
Michelle Jenneke is racing in Round 1 of the Women’s 100m hurdles on Tuesday, August 16, which begins at 10:05 AM ET. That’s tomorrow! She is currently scheduled to be Heat 2, tentatively scheduled to begin at 10:12 AM. You can live stream Michelle Jenneke’s event on NBCOlympics.com, so long as you authenticate with your cable provider.
OKAY, LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT DANCE.
Sure. It is what Jenneke is best known for. You’ve seen the Olympics before, so you know the drill. Athletes typically use the warmup before an event as a time to get in the zone. This typically involves motionless visualization or some light to medium stretching. However, in Jenneke’s case, it involved the power of dance. Partially because she was the only one doing something out of the ordinary, partially because she’s conventionally attractive, and partially because the media is sexist, all cameras were on her, and the internet ate it up.
WHAT HAS SHE DONE SINCE THE DANCE?
The athlete has seemingly embraced her sexy status, starring in a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue spread, a comedy video that playfully mocks the viral dance, and a bikini, bun, and pool water-filled endorsement video for World Star Hip Hop. It should be noted, that the video from WSHH features shot after shot of the athlete doing traditionally sexy things, like slowly getting out of a pool or tanning. These particular sexy things do very little to highlight Jenneke’s athletic prowess. Jenneke’s mom told an Australian newspaper that Jenneke doesn’t consider herself a “serious athlete,” and she’s been grateful for the opportunities her viral dance has given her.
IT IS A GREAT DANCE. SO WHAT’S THE CONTROVERSY?
There are two, actually: recent boob job accusations and Jenneke’s impact on track and field as a whole. The boob job controversy is pretty much a paint by the numbers. Jenneke posted a new photo on her Instagram, and people have been speculating whether or not she got a boob job. The athlete quickly shot those accusations down, telling people nothing was out of the ordinary and they don’t know how bras work. Nice shut down.
The deeper controversy surrounding this athlete isn’t something that has been explicitly stated but is something that crops up every time a female athlete of an underreported sport gets a lot of attention based on her attractiveness. Anna Kournikova is the best example of this — a talented tennis player widely praised for her looks who has been given millions of dollars in endorsement deals. On one hand, Kournikova’s participation in women’s tennis brought more attention to the sport. But on the other hand, the media’s fascination with Kournikova stole attention from other, more accomplished athletes, such as the Williams sisters. Kournikova is certainly talented in her own right, but as Bleacher Report covered, the athlete has shifted the standards in women’s tennis. Instead of being the best, athletes now have to look their best, have a killer sales pitch, and be “good enough.”
Jenneke follows the same trend. Though she’s gained a significant amount of media attention, she’s not considered one of the best track and field athletes at Rio. So is Michelle Jenneke the Anna Kournikova of women’s track and field? It’s too early to tell, but as commentators praise the athlete’s warmup tomorrow, you can be sure that question is going to be lurking in the background.