Shayna Jack claims moment of redemption with gold medal at Paris Olympics

Five years after her world was rocked by a doping offence she maintains she was innocent of, Shayna Jack finally has a moment of redemption — and she insists it’s only the beginning.

On the day the Australian women’s relay team won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, Shayna Jack took herself to Australia Zoo, to distract herself from the pain of what she was missing out on.

While her Australian relay teammates won Olympic gold, Jack couldn’t qualify for the Tokyo Games because of doping ban, and she used that moment as motivation.

“I love those girls [but] it was mixed emotions, I felt joy for them but it was also envy, that I couldn’t be there,” Jack said.

“I messaged each one of them after it was one of those moments that gave me that fight to come back. It actually drove that passion to come back and be proud of this team and I’m really honoured to be part of this team with these girls.”

Five years after her world was rocked by a doping offence she maintains she was innocent of, Jack finally had a moment of redemption.

Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeon and Meg Harris celebrate after winning gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay. Picture: Adam Head

On Saturday night at the pool she won Olympic gold as part of the 4x100m freestyle team.

While it was a moment to cherish, Jack remains firmly focused on the rest of the Olympic meet.

“This is definitely a great start,” Jack said.

“There’s still a few more things that I want to achieve this week.”

She added: “I’m going to take that time at the end of the week to actually reflect. But for now it’s getting back into the pool getting ready, and I’m striving to see what else I can do …”

Jack will go for gold in the 100m freestyle.

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Jack tested positive to banned substance Ligandrol in 2019, was banned for four years despite proclaiming her innocence, insisting the substance entered her system by contamination.

Back then Jack had vowed she “I won’t stop until I clear my name”. The Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport ultimately ruled she had ingested the drug unintentionally and a four-year ban was reduced to two, meaning she still missed the Tokyo Olympics.

Her case has similarities to the Chinese doping scandal that broke earlier this year.

Twenty-three Chinese swimmers tested positive for the prescription heart drug trimetazidine before the Tokyo Games, but they escaped suspension or sanction.

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Instead, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted the explanation of Chinese authorities that the results were caused by food contamination.

An independent report said that WADA had not shown “favouritism” towards China and the International Olympic Committee expressed its “full confidence” in the anti-doping body ahead of the Paris Olympics.

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