Commonwealth Games: Shayna Jack moved to tears amid ceremony for women’s 4x100m freestyle relay gold medal win
Retiring Australian swimmer Shayna Jack was moved to tears after earning a gold medal for a starring role in Australia’s women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team on the first day of the Commonwealth Games.
Retiring Australia swimmer Shayna Jack was moved to tears after earning a gold medal for a starring role in Australia’s victorious women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team on the first day of the Commonwealth Games.
Jack was the stand-out performer in her team’s typically-dominant showing, clocking what was the fastest individual leg of any Australian in the final by producing a blistering 52.64sec.
And the two-time Olympic relay gold medallist was clearly feeling all the emotions of what will be her final major international event, wiping away tears before breaking out in a broad smile and embracing the rest of her teammates.
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Jack missed the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 as she served a two-year doping suspension, despite the Court of Arbitration for Sport finding she had not intentionally ingested the banned substance Ligandrol.
The now 27-year-old, who has won gold medals at both the 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2024 Olympic Games since her return, announced earlier this month she would call time on her competitive career at the conclusion of her commitments in Glasgow.
She is slated to compete in the women’s 50m freestyle next week after finishing second in the event at last month’s Australian Swimming Trials.
Speaking at The West Australian’s Leadership Matters Road to Glasgow breakfast last month, Jack admitted she was short on motivation to return to the water in the wake of her success in Paris two years ago, only to be dragged back by a familial link.
“I had to really step back and I did take 2025 to experience what I was like outside of the pool and enjoy other endeavours,” Jack said.
“Then when my brother (Jamie) started to show a lot more potential, I thought, ‘OK, this is something that’s exciting, and I really want to be there with him’.
“I didn’t want to walk away and then he’d make the team, that I have that regret. So that was definitely something that drove me.”
The Jacks will be just the fifth set of Australian siblings to compete alongside each other at the Commonwealth Games.
