Jack back from ban 'hell' to prove herself

Australian freestyler Shayna Jack heads to the Paris Olympics seeking redemption after her world was rocked by a contested doping ban that left her deeply depressed and unsure whether she would swim again.

While Ariarne Titmus, Kaylee McKeown and Mollie O'Callaghan are the big names in Australia's powerhouse swimming squad, Jack's journey "through hell" to make the grade is compelling.

With the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 in her sights, her world came crashing down after testing positive for the muscle growth agent ligandrol in an out-of-competition test in June 2019.

She was banned for four years despite proclaiming her innocence, insisting the substance entered her system by contamination. "I won't stop until I clear my name," she vowed.

Her case has similarities to the Chinese doping scandal that blew up in the sport in 2024.

In that instance, 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for the prescription heart drug trimetazidine before the Tokyo Games, but they escaped suspension or sanction.