Swimming star Shayna Jack ready to fight doping ban

Shayna Jack is pulling no punches as she prepares to fight a doping ban and save her swimming career, declaring: “I intend to win.”

Shayna Jack has posted a defiant message to social media as she prepares to fight to avoid a four-year doping ban.

Jack, 21, has been fighting to clear her name since being stood down from the Australian team in the lead-up to the 2019 world titles in July and it emerged she had tested positive to Ligandrol, a muscle growth agent.

The Commonwealth Games gold medallist and member of Australia’s world record breaking 4x100m freestyle relay team has denied knowingly taking the drug.

After receiving notice from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) of her impending appeal date, Jack is ready to put the gloves on and fight.

“Despite a lifetime of competing clean and knowing that I had not used any prohibited substance, my life changed in an instance and I was pitchforked into an unknown world of lawyers, politics and machinations that was completely foreign to me,” she wrote.

“The process has been extremely arduous and debilitating at times. There are many aspects of the anti-doping system that are seriously flawed but possibly the worst element is the presumption of guilt that one has to bear. What sort of system infers that you are guilty of an alleged breach and the responsibility falls on you to prove your innocence?

“Now though, I have an opportunity to stand and fight for my career and reputation. I intend to win this fight and put myself back in the pool and reclaim my position as a member of the Australian swim team. Everyone knows what it is like to have something precious taken away from them and I am no different.

Shayna Jack is ready to fight for her swimming career.

“However, regaining my team membership and opportunity to competitively swim again is not my sole objective.

“Throughout this ordeal, I have learnt a considerable amount about myself. I learnt that the purest pursuit for me was my sport of swimming. I learnt that my individuality and uniqueness was the grounds for my underlying strength.

“I became acutely aware of my residual determination and my absolute and all-encompassing desire for the truth to be revealed. My understanding of the value of positive mental health and the benefits of a strong and positive mind was reinforced.

“My belief in who I am and what I stand for was fortified and my understanding of how my message is one to be shared with others was cemented.

“Not everyone will fight a flawed system and find themselves ostracised from their friends and support group for something they did not do. If you do though, stand up and fight and know that your honour will always be defended if you tell the truth.”

Jack’s coach Dean Boxall said last week they feel “really positive” about the appeal.

— with AAP