PARIS GAMES 2024: Shayna Jack on the brink of completing redemption from two-year drug ban

Australia’s Shayna Jack is 100m away from completing an Olympic redemption story that began with a drug ban and she hopes will end with her first individual gold medal.

Jack was rubbed out of the Tokyo Games three years ago serving a two-year drug ban for testing positive to a small amount of Ligandrol. To this day she maintains her innocence.

It put the brakes on her swimming career at what looked set to be its peak.

But as part of the powerful Australian women’s swim team, Jack has stormed into final of the 100m freestyle (Thursday 4.30am AEST) and is now tipped to claim her first medal in an individual event.

She touched second in her semifinal and qualified as the second-fastest swimmer overall, behind Hong Kong’s Haughey Siobhan Bernadette.

“I was really proud of that. I came into this really nervous, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Dean and I spoke about the fact that this is not about being your best, it’s about being the best on the day,” Jack said.

“I’m really proud of that swim, it was gutsy and I’m happy to have my hands on the wall and come second in that.”

Jack admitted she had become emotional ahead of her maiden individual event. She was part of the Australian team that claimed gold in the 4x100m relay on the opening night.

“I really just want to embrace it. This is my first individual Olympic event, I have actually gotten quite emotional thinking how far I have come,” she said.

“I’m just proud of myself being here representing my country and doing my family, friends, partner, everybody proud back home.”

Standing in her way now is Australia’s new golden girl, Mollie O’Callaghan, who finished three-tenths of a second slower than Jack, but was fast enough to win her semifinal.

The two Aussies will enter the final as very strong medal chances. It comes after O’Callaghan’s monumental 200m freestyle battle with Ariarne Titmus.