Michelle Jenneke will Steal your Heart

Michelle Jenneke has been lighting up the Internet in recent days, but if you’ve yet to meet her, allow us to introduce you. She is a ridiculously cute 19-year old hurdler on the Australian track and field team, who unfortunately will not be competing in the Olympics. It’s doubtful our jingoistic American television coverage would have shown much of Jenneke anyways, so you’ll just have to stick with the YouTube videos. She created a stir recently with her warm-up routine at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona. You can see the full version at Deadspin who captured it before it was removed from YouTube, but this slowed down version set to fabulously terrible music contains the highlights:

There are just so many ways this video makes us happy. First, she is cute as a button, and physically fit as well. Her bouncing pony-tail and infectious smile while she does her pre-race dance is the most intoxicating thing ever… and then she wins the race! From there it gets even better, as she proceeds to hug or shake hands with every other competitor, all the while smiling and waving to the crowd. I don’t care if she isn’t good enough to make the Olympics, Australia should add her just for publicity.

[HT to With Leather, who have also put together a Photo Gallery]