In 2019, Shayna Jack was at the centre of a doping scandal. It almost cost her life.

Shayna Jack. It’s a name we are all familiar with, but for all the wrong reasons. 

Not because she is an incredible swimmer and all-round wonderful human being, but because her name was plastered across tabloids after testing positive to a banned substance in 2019.

In our episode of Here If You Need with Jack, we delved into the doping scandal that she said almost cost her life. 

Initially banned from the competition for four years, Jack appealed the punishment to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This reduced her suspension to two years, as they accepted that Jack did not knowingly ingest the substance.

In most legal systems, you are innocent until proven guilty. In Jack's case, she was guilty until proven innocent — and whilst she wasn’t exactly ‘proven innocent’, it was proved she never knowingly took the substance. In my opinion, that is as good as innocent.

Watch: Shayna Jack on Australian Story. Post continues after video.

To this day, Jack has no idea how it came to be in her system, but it's not for lack of trying. She spent thousands of dollars testing absolutely everything she was exposed to in the lead up to her positive test — even the nail polish from the nail salon she visited in the lead up to her positive result. 

It remains a mystery, but what is certain is, she was never given a presumption of innocence. If I’m honest, she was treated like garbage (and I’m putting that nicely) from day one as she fought to clear her name.

As Jack's case was unfolding in 2019, Australian rules star Willie Rioli also tested positive for drugs. The difference in treatment by the media and public was astounding. 

Rioli was permitted to train with his West Coast team members while under a provisional suspension, while Jack was labelled a drug cheat, completely ostracised and isolated from a world she really had only ever known.

"You are no longer an athlete in any sense," Jack said.

"You're no longer able to play sport in any sense. You cannot go down to the local netball club and join the netball team. I was cut off from everything I knew. I was no longer allowed to coach, so I could no longer have that connection or that feeling like I was inspiring the young boys and girls of the next generation, which is a massive part of why I do what I do.

"I couldn't communicate with people I'd known since I was 13. People were having their jobs put on the line, they were having to ask themselves whether they pick me or their job? Just being associated with my name was a take down for people."

If you want to hear more about Shayna Jack's story, listen to this episode of Here If You Need.

Swimming Australia chief executive Leigh Russel has repeatedly asked why more humanity isn’t shown to athletes awaiting the outcome of ASADA’s investigation of their alleged breach. It’s a good question.

I realise athletes elect to live a life where they are professionals and with that comes responsibility and consequences. They know they will be routinely tested and ultimately, they should be aware of everything that goes into their body. I still feel however, there should be more done to support athletes during such a traumatic time. They are human, after all.

Jack said she hoped that if nothing else, her journey helped to contribute to the kinder treatment that Peter Bol received from the media and public after a positive drug test that he was later cleared of.

"I am going to give myself that gratitude and that pride of feeling like I did make a change," she said.

"I am hoping that the things that I went through were able to educate the public and educate the media on the anti-doping system and how there the process isn't perfect.

"The way they handled my situation I think was pretty poor. It wasn't human first. It was very much judgment first. The process of anti-doping is guilty until proven innocent and you don't get the chance to prove your innocence until potentially two years down the track.

"I was really proud to see the response that people were giving Peter and proud to see that no matter what was going on, and no matter what the situation was, whether it was intentional or unintentional, he was given the chance to fight before people actually made a decision on that person."

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Beyond the doping scandal, Jack is back in the pool fighting for Australia at the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

She's a weapon, and she is someone all young aspiring athletes should look up to. She’s overcome more adversity than most athletes will ever experience and still has a positive outlook on life and a beaming smile to go with it. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.

This article was originally published in March 2023 and has since been updated.

Feature Image: Getty.

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