Olympics: Aussie hurdler surprise face of Olympics

Australian hurdler Michelle Jenneke performing her famous dance. Photo / YouTube

Despite being ranked 55th in the world and never making it past the semi-finals at a major championship, Australian hurdler Michelle Jenneke is a face you may be familiar with come the end of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Jenneke's face has been plastered on billboards alongside famed sprinter Usain Bolt and appeared in an Australian TV commercial as part of a campaign for Coca Cola.

Jenneke, still a student at Sydney University, rose to fame after her warm-up routine at the World Junior Athletics Championships went viral in 2012, with her famous dance featuring in the ad campaign.

Now 23, Jenneke said she wanted to focus more on her track performances and was surprised when she was approached about her new role last year.

"It was pretty incredible really, Coke are such a globally well-known company and they have had such a strong partnership with the Olympic Games," Jenneke said.

"It's really great to have been a part of it and they wanted me to help represent their brand.

"The shoot was a lot of fun, it was actually shot in Barcelona. I went on a sneaky tour to Barcelona, no-one knew, not even my friends, I didn't tell anyone.

"It was really great to be a part of it, so many amazing athletes out there and Coke just have a really fun vibe. I had a really good time with it."

Jenneke is currently balancing university studies and Olympic training with modelling.

"It can be a little bit challenging but I have got a really good support network behind me and they really help to manage my time well, especially my mum who is also my manager, she pieces things together really well for me," she said.