Olympic Hurdler Michelle Jenneke Wowed During Her SI Swim Photo Shoot in Las Vegas

The professional athlete posed for the 2013 magazine.

Ananya Panchal | Jul 27, 2024

Michelle Jenneke was photographed by James Macari in Las Vegas. / James Macari/Sports Illustrated

Australian athlete Michelle Jenneke can wow on the track as well as in front of a camera. The one-time SI Swimsuit model, who posed for the 2013 issue, traveled to Las Vegas for her feature with photographer James Macari. She looked incredible in a moody series of dark purple bikinis in all sorts of styles, from frilly and feminine to sporty and supportive. The Olympic hurdler, who competed at the 2016 games in Rio De Janeiro, is set to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics and was named team captain for the Australian Olympic Athletics Team.

Jenneke, who is a five-time World Championships semi-finalist, went viral on YouTube about a year before her SI Swimsuit photo shoot. She was caught on camera dancing as a warm-up before her race at the Junior World Championships that year, and the clip garnered millions of views. The 31-year-old also showed off her moves, in addition to her fit figure and posing skills, while on location in Sin City with the team.

“I like the challenge of hurdling. It’s a little more technical than just straight sprinting. It’s just something that I feel that I was born to do,” she shared. “I was absolutely amazed when I found out that Sports Illustrated wanted to [photograph] me, because they’re such a big name, and it’s just such an amazing experience. I loved all the suits, there’s so many that I’d love to take home with me. Everyone made me feel really comfortable. I actually fell into the whole modeling thing a lot easier than I thought I would. I look at the pictures and I’m like, ‘wow, is that really me?’”

Below are five of our favorite pics from Jenneke’s 2013 SI Swimsuit photo shoot.