Following her successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), Australian swimmer Shayna Jack revealed how she believes the banned drug Ligandrol got into her system.
Jack returned a positive test for the banned substance in July last year and was immediately withdrawn from the 2019 FINA World Cup.
She immediately received a four-year retirement ban for the failed doping test.
Ligandrol, also known as or LGD 4033, is a black market muscle builder known to improve your appearance without the unwanted side effects that come with using steroids.
Jack has repeatedly pleaded her innocence, and Switzerland-based CAS has decided to cut the 22-year-old’s ban on appeal in half, which means she’ll be allowed to return to the pool next year.
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Although Jack isn’t sure how she ingested the substance, she suggested three possible sources to the CAS, The Daily Telegraph reports.
She told the court that her dietary supplements may have been contaminated during the manufacturing process and suggested that a blender used by her partner and brother could be contaminated with Ligandrol.
Most recently, Jack told the court that she may have come into contact with the substance while using a public swimming pool or gym in Townsville or Cairns.
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Although there was no evidence that any of these theories were correct, the CAS decided to remove two years of its ban, 17 months of which had already been served.
“The sole judge on the matter, at the Balance of Chances, found that Shayna had not intentionally ingested Jack Ligandrol and believed that she had fulfilled her onus to prove that the anti-doping rule violation was not intentional” said CAS in its decision.
“As a result, the sole arbitrator imposed a reduced embargo of two years, starting on the date of her provisional suspension.”
If she qualifies for the Dolphins, Jack could not represent Australia again until the World Championships in Japan in May 2022 at the earliest.
Olympic gold medalist Cate Campbell told the court she didn’t think Jack would use performance-enhancing drugs.
“In my years knowing Shayna, I have never observed behavior that would suggest that she was knowingly using a prohibited substance,” Campbell said, as reported by The Daily Telegraph.
“She has mastered the ups and downs that sport offers with class and dignity and always behaved with the utmost integrity.”
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