Australia’s track and field coach Craig Hilliard said he “can’t justify” investing time in hurdler Michelle Jenneke if she cannot promise full commitment to her sport.

Hilliard did not hold back when asked to describe Jenneke’s performance in Rio de Janeiro, claiming the 23-year-old arrived in Brazil out of shape.

He also questioned her attitude towards hurdles after she acknowledged it wasn’t her “only priority” following the Rio disappointment.

Jenneke – who attracted significant attention in the build-up to the Olympic Games due to a promotional deal with Coca-Cola – finished sixth in her heat for the women’s 100m hurdles and failed to progress to the semi-finals as a result.

Jenneke poses with a can of Coca-Cola. Photo: Instagram

When asked if Jenneke’s commitment worried him, Hilliard was quoted by the Herald Sun as saying: “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? 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.”

Jenneke, who is well-known for her pre-race dancing, was not at her fittest in Brazil, according to Hilliard.

“She was certainly one of the athletes that underperformed here,” he said.

“It would be easy to suggest that [distractions] was possibly a scenario.

“It’s something that I need to discuss with her and go through her program as she certainly didn’t arrive here in the shape she should have arrived in.”

Jenneke clears a hurdle in her heat. Photo: Getty

Jenneke posted on Instagram after her event that she suffered nerve pain during the course of the Olympics.

“Safe to say that yesterday didn’t go to plan, not the way I wanted to race but given some nerve pain I had down my right leg, I did the best I could,” she wrote.

“Still fought to the end and proudly get to call myself and [sic] Olympian which until recently I never thought I would be.”

‘Two medals, I am happy with that’

Australia won just two track and field medals in Rio – and both came in walking events.

But despite that, Hilliard said he was pleased with the campaign, given the improvement across the board.

And he is hopeful that some of the team’s younger members will build on their performances ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Alana Boyd surprised many in the pole vault, finishing in fourth place. Photo: Getty

“Two medals, I am happy with that,” he said.

“And there was scope for more medals there as we had two fourths in the end [discus, Dani Samuels and pole vault, Alana Boyd].

“The encouraging thing for me is how many athletes we had in the top eight. We are certainly ahead of London in those stats.

“Importantly, it is the younger kids who really stood up here.

“In terms of scope for the future, that is the encouraging sign for me.”