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James Magnussen, London 2012 Olympic Games, 100m Freestyle Final

Former Olympic champion James Magnussen has admitted that the aftermath of the turbulent London Games in 2012 “scarred him emotionally”.

During the episode on Monday evening on SAS AustraliaMagnussen explained how the 2012 Olympics affected his emotional wellbeing.

The Australian swimmer was touted as a favorite to take a gold medal in the 100m freestyle event.

Despite being in the lead for most of the race, Magnussen was relegated to the post by American Nathan Adrian and finished an excruciating 0.01 seconds behind the opposing swimmer.

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Eight years later, Magnussen admits he is still struggling to cope with the shock result that came with a flurry of media observation. The 29-year-old also announced that he has not cried since the London Olympics.

“I lost at the Olympic Games in London. I got silver in a hundredth of a second, that’s the smallest margin you can have in sport, ”said Magnussen SAS Australia.

“At the time I was shaken. I thought, “My whole life so far has been a failure.”

“It’s something I haven’t fully delved into.

“I think the whole London experience and impact hardened me in many ways, and I haven’t cried since.

“That experience got me a little emotional, and as a result, showing emotion is not something I’ve ever been very comfortable with.”

Magnussen and five teammates on the Australian 4x100m Freestyle Team confessed to taking a banned subscription drug at a pre-Olympic camp in Manchester.

“It got pretty dark there for a while when I was criticizing a lot not only in the media but also in public,” said Magnussen.

“When I was a 20 year old, I didn’t really know how to deal with it, so I made a decision at the time that I will never let emotions overwhelm me again.

“I’ve had some really big hits in my life since … the whole experience in London hardened me.”

Magnussen and the five others could lose their bronze medals after former swimmer Brenton Rickard tested positive for a banned substance earlier this month.

Rickard took part in the 2012 Olympic Games in London and was a member of the men’s 4 x 100 m medley relay team, in which Magnussen was represented.

As first reported by The Sydney Morning HeraldSamantha Lane, a re-screening of Rickard’s sample he gave eight years ago, tested positive for the diuretic furosemide, a banned masking agent.

According to the report, the International Olympic Committee is trying to disqualify Rickard’s results from the London Games, which would be an Australian first.

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