Michelle Jenneke is one of the most popular athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris but suffered an unfortunate setback during her preliminary race on Wednesday.
The Australian is reported to have ruptured a hamstring while running the 100m hurdle, having tripped over a hurdle for a nasty fall. Still, she managed to get back on her feet and finish the race to give herself a chance to run in the last-chance qualifier.
Check it out in the video below:
A photo finish win for Masai Russell in her first race as an Olympian. 🔥 #ParisOlympics
(📺 USA Network and Peacock) pic.twitter.com/CjYxnDGB90
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024
“I just really wanted to make sure that I got up and I finished,” she said after her finish.
“First of all, it’s the Olympic Games and I want to be doing that. And second of all, I thought there was still a chance that I might be able to do repechage tomorrow.
“So at this stage, like, I have no idea how the leg is. I’ve got to go back and have a chat to our medical team. But I’m really hoping it’ll be all right.”
Michelle Jenneke Is Still Looking For Her First Olympic Medal
The 31-year-old is a two-time Olympian but is still in search of her first Olympic medal after failing to qualify out of the heats for the 100m hurdles in Rio back in 2016. She shot to fame at the World Junior Championships in 2012, going viral for her dance moves during warmup sessions.
Her appearance on Thursday was of some intrigue, given Wednesday’s mishap, with fans curious to see to see whether she would be able to qualify for her first Olympic final.
Ultimately, she didn’t qualify, but she was just happy to be able to run another race after tripping up on her first attempt.
“I knew that making that semi-final and running under 12 seconds missing one of your hamstrings is probably pretty impossible,” she said, “but I wanted to prove to myself and the rest of Australia that I’ve got grit in me and I’m not going to give up easily.”
