Shayna Jack: A Triple Treat Return To Racing At Queensland State Swimming Championships
Shayna Jack wasted no time jumping back into swimming’s fast lane with an impressive return to racing and the winning circle on the opening session of the 2021 McDonald’s Queensland State Swimming Championships on Saturday.
It came after her heart-breaking ordeal that cost her two-and-half years away from a promising swimming career she plans to resurrect at next year’s Fina World Championships and Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
The 23-year-old, cleared to come back to racing after a lengthy battle for a positive doping violation to a miniscule amount of banned substance Ligandrol, took the plunge on a long-awaited comeback to the pool at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre – and she is off to a flyer.
LOOK WHO’S BACK: Shayna Jack all smiles as she walks onto pool deck for the Mixed Freestyle Relay. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photos. u
Jack was a member of the three-winning St Peters Western relay teams – and clocked one of her fastest ever 50m freestyle splits in the first leg of the club’s winning 4x50m freestyle relay.
She clocked a time just 0.30 outside her best 50m freestyle time, stopping the clock in an official 24.63 in the lead off leg for a St Peters team that nudged the Queensland record.
It was a record held by a team that actually included herself and former Australian relay team members both Cate and Bronte Campbell back in 2017.
“I have had a tough two-and-a-half years,” Jack told Australia’s Olympic network, Channel 7 after her swim.
“There was always the potential that I wasn’t going to be back here and I’m just proud to be standing here today.
“I swam only 0.3 off my best ever time (swum) back in 2019 when I got my best time….it’s a nice start that’s for sure.
“I’ve only done about three months of main sets back with my squad…and I’ve got a lot of confidence going forward now.”
And it was a tick of approval from madcap coach Dean Boxall, who has remained her biggest supporter, saying: “ What Shayna did today (is) going to give her great confidence….just 0.3 off her best…!”
VIDEO OF SHAYNA JACK’S RETURN TO THE POOL
The St Peters foursome of Jack (24.63, off the gun), Tokyo relay gold medallist Mollie O’Callaghan (24.51), Ella Ramsay (25.36) and Tokyo Olympian Abbey Harkin (25.63) clocked a collective time of 1:40.13 – just 0.19 outside the four-year-old mark set by Chandler.
FLY START: Rackley’s flyer Tom Jeffries, who swam a key butterfly leg in the winning 4x50m medley relay. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photos.
And it was the best possible start for Jack with another impressive (24.05/freestyle) anchor leg combining with O’Callaghan (28.29/backstroke), Harkin 32.08/breaststroke) and Ramsay (27.13/butterfly) to win the 4x50m medley relay – again just a fingernail outside her previous Chandler club’s Queensland record time.
And it was a case of “three-out-of-three ain’t bad” for Jack (24.65) who then combined with Tokyo Olympians Elijah Winnington (23.11) and O’Callaghan (24.40), along side young gun Kai Taylor (22.57) to win the Mixed 4x50m freestyle relay – a clean sweep for SPW and their returning recruit.
And while the SPW women were on fire, so too were the Rackley men’s team with Will Stockwell (22.74), Louis Townsend (22.07) and Tokyo relay bronze medallists Isaac Cooper (22.07) and Thomas Neill (22.05) setting a new Queensland record of 1:28.93 – 0.52 better than the previous mark.
Rackley repeated the dose in the medley relay with Cooper (24.89/backstroke), Townsend (27.97/breaststroke), Tom Jeffries (24.42/butterfly) and the flying Stockwell bringing it home in a sizzling (21.94/freestyle) setting a new Queensland record of 1:39.22.
Another eye-catching split came from Bond’s 16-year-old Flynn Southam who anchored his University team’s freestyle relay with the fastest split of the day, stopping the clock in 21.93 – again the boy to stop in the 50 and 100m freestyle individual events. The individual racing is underway – follow all the action here:
QLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS – Program, Live Streaming, Results
FINAL WORD: Griffith University Head Coach Michael Bohl giving some last minute instructions to Jessica Unicomb. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photos.
ALL TATT JAZZ: Rackley’s Brandon L’Barrow’s call to arms at yesterday’;s State Relays. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photos.
SHE’S APPLES: Rackley Hibiscus new recruit Jamie Jack all set to race. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photos.
MIAMI SLICE: Miami Swim Club’s 2021 addition, dual Olympian David Morgan. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photos.
ISAAC IN THE MIDDLE: Tokyo relay bronze medallist Isaac Cooper (blue cap) gave Rackley’s a head start in the 4x50m medley relay. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photos.
IN THE STARTERS HANDS: Boys on deck for the medley relay. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photos.
TITMUS TEST: Dual Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus had her toes in the water on day one too. Her meet about to start in earnest. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photos.
Great reporting Hanso?