Two-time Olympic gold medalist Shayna Jack, one of the top female Australian sprinters for the better part of the past decade, has announced her retirement from competitive swimming following the conclusion of the Commonwealth Games later this month.
Jack, 27, made the announcement on Instagram, doing so in an emotional one-on-one video alongside longtime coach Dean Boxall.
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Jack says that she knew ahead of time that when she was going to retire, she wanted to do it alongside Boxall prior to the Commonwealth Games since they’ve ridden the highs and lows together since aligning in 2018.
“I wanted to bear my heart to Australia and to everyone I’ve represented over the years,” Jack said of going out on her own terms at the Commonwealth Games.
“I want to go out there, head held high, proud of who I am, proud of who I’m representing, proud of what I’m saying goodbye to.”
Jack is coming off a strong showing at the Australian Swimming Trials in June, placing 2nd in the women’s 50 free (24.37) and 3rd in the 100 free (52.96) to earn a berth on the Commonwealth team. She opted out of representing Australia at Pan Pacs, and we now know the reason why.
The Brisbane native had a decorated junior career on the international stage, winning two gold and nine total medals between the 2013 and 2015 World Junior Championships while also claiming two gold and four total medals at the 2014 Junior Pan Pacific Championships.
She made her senior international debut at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, winning three relay medals for the Aussies while also earning a semi-final berth in the 50 free at the age of 18.
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Jack led off the Australian women’s 4×100 free relay that broke the world record in 3:30.05, and she also earned a pair of 4th-place finishes in the 50 and 100 free. She also contributed to the victorious Australian women’s 4×100 free relay at the 2018 Pan Pacs.
That year marked Jack’s first training under Boxall, but in 2019, her career was turned on its head.
After qualifying for the 2019 World Championships, Jack tested positive for Ligandrol during an out-of-competition test. Jack maintained her innocence throughout the process, which included an investigation by Australia’s anti-doping organization, ASADA (now known as Sport Integrity Australia).
Initially receiving a four-year suspension from ASADA, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reduced Jack’s suspension down to two years in 2020, ruling that she did not intentionally take the substance.
After her suspension expired in July 2021, Sport Integrity Australia and the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed the CAS’ reduction to her ban, but the CAS upheld its ruling that her ban had been served in full, allowing her to return to competition.
Jack returned to the international stage in 2022, winning the first long course world title of her career at the World Championships in Budapest in the women’s 4×100 free relay while adding a silver medal in the mixed medley relay.
She also won three medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, including gold in the women’s 4×100 free relay along with an individual silver in the 100 free and an individual bronze in the 50 free.
Jack then racked up five medals at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, including three relay golds and an individual silver in the 50 free. In the women’s 4×100 free relay, Jack contributed a blistering 51.69 split as the Aussies broke their own world record by nearly two seconds in 3:27.96. She also set her 100 free lifetime best of 52.28 leading off the relay in the prelims.
In 2024, after missing out on the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 while serving her suspension, Jack qualified for her first Olympic team at the Australian Trials, winning the 50 free in a lifetime best of 23.99 while placing 2nd in the 100 free.
At the Paris Olympics, Jack won a pair of gold medals on the Australian women’s 4×100 free and 4×200 free relays while placing 5th in the 100 free and 8th in the 50 free individually.
Earlier that year, she added to her medal haul at the 2024 World Championships, piling up six medals including gold in the women’s 4×100 medley relay and an individual bronze in the 100 free.
Jack missed out on qualifying for the Australian team at the 2025 World Championships, placing 5th in the 100 free and 8th in the 100 free at last year’s Aussie Trials, but rebounded to make the Commonwealth team last month.
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Now, she’ll go out on her own terms in Glasgow, with the swimming competition at the Commonwealth Games scheduled to begin on July 24 and wrap up on July 29.
Interesting, pan pacs are one month later. I wonder why she wouldn’t go a few more weeks and some prize money.
We all know where she’s headed.
The Outback?
The US women really have no excuse this time if they lose to the Aussies yet again in 400 free relay in LA
Truly. If the US women don’t win 400 frr gold in LA, an inquiry should be launched.
I would never count out the Aussies. Truly, there’s still a lot of time for someone to pop off
I thought for sure that she would continue to LA since she kept swimming past 2025 Worlds. She would have been better off taking two years off and returning to training around now to make a push for 2028.
The team really needed her for the relay in LA.
Disappointing.
Not too many left of the Aussie women to helped the relays winning a lot for several years.
enhanced games let’s gooo
She not already in the gang?