Aussie track glamour girl Michelle Jenneke breaks her silence on high-tech shoe controversy that saw athletics legend Michael Johnson accused of ‘black racism’
By Shayne Bugden For Daily Mail Australia See the article : Redbird Athletics, Redbird Sports Properties launch ‘In The Nest’ podcast.
Published: 02:05 BST, 5 August 2022 | Updated: 29/05/2020 07:29
Hurdler Michelle Jenneke has had her say on the biggest controversy at the recent World Athletics Championships, where questions were raised about the legitimacy of her rival’s victory because of her high-tech shoes.
The Aussie was stunned when she recorded a personal best in the 100m hurdles in Oregon last month, and the athletics world was even more shocked when Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan broke the world record while wearing Adidas Adizero Avanti shoes, which have long have been used. -Distance runner.
Although the use is not illegal, the shoe is under investigation because it is designed to give runners a boost with the use of extremely bouncy foam, with some other hurdles they carry.
Amusan broke the record and 12 of the 24 athletes in the 100m hurdles semi-finals at the championships recorded personal bests, the legendary 200m runner turned commentator Michael Johnson to say that the times were wrong.
Jenneke – seen here performing her famous pre-race dance at the World Athletics Championships last month – weighed in on the event’s biggest controversy
The Aussie revived her career with a personal best in Oregon – and 11 of her rivals in the 100m hurdles also beat their fastest times, setting off some alarm bells.
He was accused of being a “black racist” and even lashed out about the beating he suffered in 2018.
Jenneke said she believes the furore is a fluke as she prepares to race in the Commonwealth Games on Friday night.
“I ran quite a PB (personal best) in that race and ran in the same shoes I’ve run in the last five years,” she said.
‘I know I can’t attribute my PB to the shoes because it’s the same shoe, the same shoe model.
The winner of the event, Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan (pictured with Jenneke) broke the world record while wearing Adidas Adizero Avanti shoes, which are designed for long distance runners and have come under scrutiny for giving competitors an unfair advantage
Track legend turned commentator Michael Johnson (pictured) has been called a “black racist” for questioning whether the times in the event were legitimate
‘I’ve tried some of the new spikes they’re coming out with, the technology is amazing, and I’m sure people are faster, but at the same time if you go back 10, 20 years, look at the shoes that the ‘People wear, they were very different from what we wore five years ago.
‘I don’t think we see anything that causes so much change that it needs to be questioned.’
Jenneke added that she is confident the athletics governing body will review the shoes and stay on top of the situation.
Her time of 12.66 at the world championships came after she was sidelined for three years with serious back and ankle injuries that could have ended her career.
After becoming world famous thanks to her ‘jiggling Jenneke’ pre-race dance at the 2012 World Junior Championships going viral, she said representing her country once again in Oregon was ‘honestly pretty incredible’.
Her return to form has made her an outside chance of winning a medal in Birmingham, where she has said she will roll out the famous dance once more.
