Swimming, Scandals & Jungle Survival: Golden Girl Shayna Jack Makes A Splash
The gold standard
By Natalie McGowan | 2nd May 2025You might recognise Brissy native Shayna Jack as one of the Aussie swimmers who brought home double gold in the relay events at the Paris Olympics last year. Maybe you know her from her highly publicised two-year doping controversy, or more recently, her stint on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! However you know her, there’s no denying Shayna Jack is a fighter – in and out of the pool.
At just 26, Shayna has experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows on the world stage. She’s an elite athlete, a public figure, and – like many who live in the spotlight – has weathered a scandal of her own (albeit an unjust one). We first met at the cover shoot, then again a few days later – this time over the phone. “Is it alright that I’m currently getting a massage? I just finished racing at Nationals,” she says with a laugh.
It’s fair to say that Shayna’s schedule is packed. Between daily laps, gym sessions three times a week, cover shoots, and national meets, she’s also deeply involved in outreach work and community initiatives. To top it off, she’s planning a wedding to her partner and fellow athlete, Joel Rintala. Busy is an understatement.
It’s a drive that was instilled in her since childhood. “When I was about 10, I met Libby Trickett and Ashley Callus,” she recalls. “That was when I fell in love with the thought of being an Olympian. Being one of the best in a sport seemed pretty exciting to me from a young age.”
In 2019, at the peak of her budding career, Shayna’s world imploded. At just 20, she tested positive for trace amounts of Ligandrol, a muscle growth agent. The backlash was swift and brutal. Despite maintaining her innocence – and later being cleared of intentional doping – she was still handed a mandatory two-year sanction.
“The one thing that kept me going was my inability to accept defeat – I’m a very competitive person,” she says. “I don’t like when my reputation is being questioned because I know who I am and what I stand for… it wasn’t always necessarily about getting back to the pool, it was also about fighting for myself and what’s right and ensuring the system doesn’t take an innocent athlete through such a horrible scenario.”
The emotional toll was immense and the physical comeback gruelling. Even still, Shayna returned to the pool in 2021, just as the Tokyo Olympics were unfolding. “I had to watch from home and see the girls break the record in the 4×100 freestyle relay, which I was previously part of. I was filled with mixed emotions of envy but also joy for them,” she says.
After competing at States later that year, her fire was reignited and, while her sights weren’t yet re-aimed at the Olympics, that’s exactly where she found herself come 2024. Competing in the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays, she played a key role in bringing home gold twice, smashing a world record in the process.
“For me to represent my country on the world stage is one of the biggest honours I could ever bestow on myself,” she recalls of her comeback in Paris. “It was such a surreal moment. I kind of wish it was like Groundhog Day.”
Since her very public redemption arc, Shayna has made her reality TV debut on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! At first glance, it might seem like an unexpected pivot from competitive swimming, but once you get to know her, it’s clear it was the challenge that drew Shayna in.
Twenty-four days in the jungle later, she emerged with a new perspective. “I met so many incredible people and I learnt so much about myself,” she says. “But the worst part was definitely the starvation,” she laughs.
Through all the highs and heartbreaks, Shayna’s resilience is what shines through: “A challenge is just a blessing in disguise,” she says. “I wouldn’t have thought like that during my drug saga, but in the end, I look at it and think, ‘I wouldn’t be the person I am today without all those challenges’. So I always try to be positive about things that get thrown my way and not let them defeat me.”
With a wedding in the works, Olympic gold under her belt, and a renewed lease on life, Shayna Jack is ready for whatever’s next. “I really don’t know what the next chapter of my life holds. But life can be bloody beautiful if you open pretty much all the doors possible.”
