Australian relay world-record holder Shayna Jack denied wrongdoing on Saturday after she failed a drugs test and was forced to miss the swimming world championships in South Korea. The 20-year-old, part of Australia's 4x100m freestyle team that set a world record at last year's Commonwealth Games, failed an out-of-competition test late last month and has been suspended, Swimming Australia said.
The first positive test related to the Gwangju world championships is embarrassing for Australian swimming after Olympic champion Mack Horton's protest against Chinese rival Sun Yang in Gwangju over salacious claims he smashed vials of blood following a test last year. Jack, who returned home days before the start of the world championships in South Korea citing "personal reasons", denied deliberately taking a banned substance.
"I did not take this substance knowingly," Jack posted on Instagram. "Swimming has been my passion since I was 10 years old and I would never intentionally take a banned substance that would disrespect my sport or jeopardise my career." But American Lilly King savaged the swimmer later on Saturday.
"She's a drug cheater," sniffed the Olympic champion. "She has tested positive on a drugs test - doping is doping." Australian officials ushered Jack back to Australia from a world championship training camp in Japan after the results of the June 26 test and gave her a provisional suspension, Swimming Australia said.
"Swimming Australia is and always has been committed to a clean sport," CEO Leigh Russell said in a statement. "We have consistently supported a zero tolerance approach to doping and have been strong supporters of a rigorous and consistent approach to drug testing both here and overseas."
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