- Wins individual swim after returning from doping suspension
- Emotional scenes as he made his Olympic dream come true
- However, Emma McKeon will not have the opportunity to defend the crown.
- If this story raises concerns for you, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14
Emma McKeon will not defend her Olympic 100m freestyle title in Paris after Shayna Jack secured her place in an individual swim to complete her redemption story at the Australian swimming trials.
Mollie O’Callaghan took first place with a time of 52.33 seconds, followed by Shayna Jack in 52.72 seconds.
The result earned Jack her first individual Olympic swim in a hugely emotional time after she considered quitting the sport and contemplated suicide following a 24-month doping ban.
Jack, now 25, had already secured a spot on the Dolphins team as a 200m freestyle relay swimmer earlier in the week. However, Friday night turned out to be much more emotional after missing the Tokyo Games.
Jack smiles and sheds tears of joy knowing that he will be able to swim individually at the Paris Olympics after returning from a doping suspension.
Emma McKeon realizes she won’t be able to defend her title in Paris
Throughout his ordeal, Jack has consistently denied using performance-enhancing drugs and remains steadfast in his innocence.
Realizing she would not be defending her title after finishing seventh in the 100m freestyle final, a shocked McKeon could only look at the standings.
Meanwhile, Jack burst into tears of joy. He hugged his rival while he was still in the pool and continued to shed tears during an interview with Nine, as well as other TV reporters and writers.
His emotional moment with his coach, Dean Boxall, was particularly moving.
Jack expressed his excitement in a Channel 9 interview, saying: “I definitely felt that fire in my stomach after watching the girls do an incredible job at Tokyo 2021. Now it’s my turn.”
He described how he used the doubts of others as motivation and recalled moments of despair during his ban.
‘It’s just happiness. “I’m so proud of myself,” she said.
“I couldn’t have done it without so many people.”
Jack shares an emotional hug with coach Dean Boxall after his incredible 100m race.
Australians took to social media to praise Jack for his determination to come back from the doping ban and live his Olympic dream.
Jack has credited Olympic statistician Cate Campbell (left) for being his mentor during tough times.
Jack also paid tribute to four-time Olympic gold medalist Cate Campbell, crediting her for her support during difficult times.
‘I grew up idolizing Cate. And then I trained with Cate,” Jack said.
“During my time (away), Cate became a great mentor because she went through some tough times in her past, so I was really grateful for every bit of wisdom she was able to pass on to me,” she said.
‘I also wanted to be like a lighthouse like that.
“I’m taking whatever responsibility she’s passed on and I’m just trying to do it with pride and represent her and past Olympians absolutely well.”
Meg Harris, Brontë Campbell, Olivia Wunsch and Emma McKeon completed the top six, all part of the 4x100m freestyle relay team. Despite her illustrious career, McKeon will not defend her 100m title as new talent emerges in Australian swimming.
McKeon, Australia’s most decorated Olympian with 11 medals, was a key member of the 4x100m relay teams that won gold in Rio and Tokyo.
If this story raises concerns for you, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14
