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Athletics Australia cuts Michelle Jenneke's funding

Aussie hurdler Michelle Jenneke has been dumped from Athletics Australia's funding scheme after a disappointing Rio Olympics campaign.

The global superstar, who shot to fame in 2012 when her 'jiggling' warm-up dance went viral, was one of the faces of Rio 2016 as part of a sponsorship deal with Coca Cola.

However she failed to live up to the hype, finishing sixth in her heat, almost half a second slower than her personal best.

And Jenneke has now paid the price, left off the National Athlete Support Structure, the system that provides support to athletes with the most potential.

Australian head coach Craig Hilliard was critical of the high-profile star after the Games, saying she needed to make athletics her undisputed top priority.

"At the moment, I am still young, I live at home, go to university. At the moment, athletics isn't my only priority," she said.

Jenneke looks on in disappointment. Image: Getty
Jenneke looks on in disappointment. Image: Getty

Hilliard demanded a more hard and fast commitment.

"Absolutely (it troubles me), because it comes to the end of the day and ... it's about balance. If it's not a priority then why are we funding athletes if it's not a priority?" he said on Saturday.

"It's simple.

"If you are going to be half-baked at doing something, why are we investing in you? I can't justify that."

Despite her modest international results, Jenneke was the most visible member of the 60-strong Australian athletics team at the Rio Games, due largely to her commercial feats.

Hilliard also felt Jenneke arrived at the pre-Games training camp in Florida below peak fitness.

"She was certainly one of the athletes that under-performed here," he said.

"It would be easy to suggest that (outside distractions) was possibly a scenario.

Image: Getty
Image: Getty

"It's something that I need to discuss with her and go through with her.

"She certainly didn't arrive here in the shape she should have arrived in."

AA named 62 athletes who will receive support as attention shifts to the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

Others big names to miss out are discus thrower Benn Harradine, who failed to get out of qualifying in Rio, and javelin thrower Kim Mickle, who has joined the Fremantle Dockers for the upcoming AFL Women's season.

with AAP