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Australian track and field star Michelle Jenneke was one of the first athletes to actually have a viral moment in the age of social media.
Jenneke’s pre-race routine caught the attention of sports fans around the world during the 2012 IAAF World Championships. The viral moment helped raise her profile and land her in the 2013 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
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Michelle Jenneke of Australia reacts as she is introduced to spectators before the start of the women’s 100m hurdles fifth heat during the World Athletics Championships, at the National Athletics Center on August 22, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
She has mostly kept her private life out of reach of the internet vultures, only posting clips and photos of herself training or competing. That was until Sunday, when she revealed that she was engaged after an 8-and-a-half-year relationship that no one outside of their families and loved ones knew about.
“8.5 years of work,” she captioned her photo collage on Instagram.
Jenneke became engaged to Alex Beck, another Australian Olympic track athlete. Beck also kept his relationship with Jenneke a secret.
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Alex Beck of Australia reacts after competing in the men’s 400m heats during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium on August 1, 2021. (GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)
The photos showed the two in a loving embrace and Jenneke showing off her ring.
Jenneke competed in the Olympics for Australia at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016. Unfortunately, she failed to make it out of the heats in the 100 meter hurdles. She suffered a similar event during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Beck represented Australia at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Michelle Jenneke of Team Australia reacts after the Women’s 100m Hurdles heats during day four of the Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Center on August 22, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
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Both athletes won several medals during their careers. Jenneke on the youth circuit and Beck at the Oceania Championships in 2024.
