Shayna Jack bursts into tears as redemption story comes at a cost, denying Emma McKeon a chance to defend her Olympic title in Paris

Emma McKeon will not defend her Olympic 100m freestyle title in Paris after Shayna Jack secured her place in an individual swimming event to complete her redemption story at the Australian swimming trials.

Mollie O’Callaghan took first place with a time of 52.33 seconds, followed by Shayna Jack at 52.72 seconds.

The result gave Jack her first individual Olympic dive at a hugely emotional time after she considered quitting the sport and contemplated suicide following a 24-month doping ban.

Jack, now 25, had already secured a place on the Dolphins team as a relay swimmer in the 200m freestyle earlier this week. However, Friday evening turned out to be much more emotional after missing the Games in Tokyo.

Jack beams and cries with joy as she realizes she will be able to swim individually at the Paris Olympics after returning from a doping ban

Emma McKeon comes to the realization that she will not be able to defend her title in Paris

Throughout her ordeal, Jack has consistently denied using performance-enhancing drugs and remains committed to her innocence.

A shocked McKeon realized she would not defend her title after finishing seventh in the 100m freestyle final and could only stare at the leaderboard.

Meanwhile, Jack burst into tears of joy. She hugged her rivals while still in the pool, and continued to shed tears during an interview with Nine, as well as other TV reporters and writers.

Her emotional moment with her coach, Dean Boxall, was especially moving.

Jack expressed her excitement in an interview on Channel 9, saying, “I definitely got that fire in my belly after seeing the girls do a great job at Tokyo 2021. Now it’s my turn.”

She described how she used others’ doubts as motivation and recalled moments of despair during her ban.

‘It’s just luck. “I’m so proud of myself,” she said.

‘I couldn’t have done it without so many people.’

Jack shares an emotional hug with coach Dean Boxall after her incredible 100m race

Aussies took to social media to praise Jack for her determination to bounce back from doping ban and achieve her Olympic dream

Jack credited Olympian Cate Campbell (left) with mentoring her through the tough times

Jack also paid tribute to four-time Olympic gold medalist Cate Campbell, thanking her for support during the tough times.

“I grew up idolizing Cate. And then I trained with Cate,” Jack said.

“In my absence, Cate became a huge mentor because she has been through some tough times in her past, so I was really grateful for every piece of wisdom she could pass on,” she said.

‘I also just wanted to be such a beacon.

“I take on every bit of responsibility that she has passed on and try to do that with pride and represent her and the former Olympians absolutely well.”

Meg Harris, Bronte Campbell, Olivia Wunsch and Emma McKeon rounded out the top six, all part of the 4x100m freestyle relay team. Despite her illustrious career, McKeon will not defend her 100m title as new talent emerges in Australian swimming.

McKeon, Australia’s most decorated Olympian with 11 medals, was a key member of the 4x100m relay teams that won gold in Rio and Tokyo.

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