One of the biggest challenges Shayna Jack faces on the path to Paris is the battle to hunt a world champion who is in the next lane every single day at training.
How does the hunter secretly hunt the hunted when you train at the same pool, in the same squad, under the same coach?
It’s a question Jack asks herself every day and a challenge she must conquer if she is to achieve her ultimate Olympic redemption and win the 100m freestyle in Paris against world champion Mollie O’Callaghan.
The duo are part of the St Peters Western super squad under Dean Boxall who have come back from the world titles with a swag of gold medals, world records and expectation for the Olympic Games.
Jack is taking just two weeks off from the Fukuoka world titles before starting her Olympic training cycle, knowing there is not a moment to waste if she wants to win gold.
She’s willing to push herself harder than ever, but knows O’Callaghan will be doing the exact same in the lane next to her.
How she closes the gap, which on best times this year is just two tenths of a second, will depend on the work she does away from the suspicious eyes of teammates.
“Those are going to be secrets I keep to myself,” Jack said.
“The nitty gritty and specifics will be kept between Dean and I. He loves that about me, because I do like to keep secrets.
“It could be things such as pilates or things in the gym, it could be anything. But in the end I have to focus on my weaknesses and make them strengths.
“That is probably the biggest challenge for myself, ‘Arnie’ (Ariarne Titmus), Mollie and anyone who has to train with anyone they compete with.
“You sit there and I can compare myself to what Mollie is doing in training and there is no way I would not do that because she is right there with me.
“It is definitely a mental challenge, you really have to start focusing purely on yourself and what you can do better for yourself.
“We can push each other to get the best out of each other every single training session. I am going to try to push myself more than anyone else and try to do the things no one else will do, so that’s my goal.”
Jack’s three relay gold medals and three world records at Fukuoka were incredible moments, but the 50m freestyle silver medal whet the appetite for life as an individual medallist and it brought about a range of emotions given the ordeal she’s conquered after her infamous 2019 failed drug test ban.
On the podium she thought of the family who supported her through a two-year suspension, the closest friends and coaches who always had her back, and felt immense pride she could achieve success after time out of the elite system.
She knows there will be hiccups in the next 12 months til Paris, but for someone who has conquered a rockier road than most athletes, there is nothing she cannot handle.
“I never thought I’d be back at that (world) level let alone achieving golds and world records,” Jack said. “It was an amazing week and one I won’t forget. I’m still letting all the emotions sink in and I still don’t think I really realised the amount of amazing things I was able to achieve both individually and with my team.
“Moving forward it’s going to be really exciting going into next year … it’s going to be my first real Olympic preparation I guess because in the end I wasn’t there for the last one, this one’s for me.
“There are aspects you can’t control, that is a reality of life. Things can get thrown at you and I think, if anything, I’ve proven no matter what happens I can overcome it.”
Originally published as Why Shayna Jack must keep secrets from her teammates, emotional return from doping ban
