Prince Harry and the Queen's photobomb pictures were the talk of the Commonwealth Games. But Australian athlete Genevieve LaCaze took the concept one stage further in the event's closing ceremony.
The little-known steeplechase runner became the focus of media coverage of the grande finale – and was the talk of Twitter – after "stage bombing" a performance by Kylie Minogue.
Genevieve dashed out centre stage as her countrywoman had exited for a costume change. The blonde athlete – who was celebrating her 25th birthday – lasted for a minute dancing with Kylie's backing dancers before she was escorted away by security guards. The BBC tried to keep cameras off her spontaneous addition to the show, but viewers still caught several glimpses of the sportswoman, who came fifth in the 3000m steeplechase during her first Commonwealth Games.
After the incident, she said of her turn on stage: "I just wanted a little bit of claim to fame. I wanted a little bit of TV time; I am turning 25, so why not." The 25-year-old added: "I'll just embrace it while I haven't gotten in trouble yet. I could have grabbed the microphone and shown a little bit of vocals but I don't know how talented I am in that area."
Genevieve insists that her antics were out of character. "I'm a bit shy and I’m not one to break the rules," she later told news.com.au. "I'm the one who worries about the consequences before taking the chance of doing something a little bit rebellious, but I thought, 'It’s my 25th birthday'." The athlete said she had been encouraged by Games volunteers to get up on stage and she felt it made sense since she hails from the Gold Coast, where the 2018 Games will be held. She explained: "I know I’ll be around in 2018 to represent where I’m from and to represent the Games. It’s honestly going to be one of the best Games yet so why not get involved early?"