Shayna Jack lived out a wondrous moment on Friday night that had played on repeat in her head for years.
The Australian swimmer was engulfed in a drugs controversy that left her contemplating suicide, but what she’s produced at Australia’s Paris 2024 trials this week has set her up for a debut Olympic Games.
The 25-year-old had already secured her place on the Dolphins team as a 200m freestyle relay swimmer on Wednesday night, but what the Queenslander did on Friday night triggered a vastly more surreal flood of emotion.
READ MORE: Campbell cruelled by 0.01 as Paris bid rocked
READ MORE: Conor McGregor quits headline UFC comeback fight
READ MORE: ‘I pretended’: High jumper breaks record then fakes injury
She finished second in the 100m freestyle final and nailed Swimming Australia’s Olympic entry standard, meaning she will not only be going to Paris as a relay swimmer but an individual swimmer.
After shedding tears and hugging her rivals while still in the pool, she shed more tears in a pool-deck interview with Nine, more tears while speaking to TV reporters, more tears while speaking to writers, and more tears in a spine-tingling moment with her coach, St Peters Western mentor Dean Boxall.
In a dim, largely cordoned-off area at Brisbane Aquatic Centre, but an area within sight of Channel 9 broadcast cameras, reporters and some spectators, she shared one of the longest and tightest hugs of her life with her coach, letting the tears flow.
“I think for me it’s just using every bit of motivation from anyone who ever doubted me and knowing that I reached points of absolute despair and not even knowing if I wanted to return to the sport,” Jack had told reporters moments before the emotional embrace with Boxall.
“It’s just happiness. I’m so proud of myself.
“I couldn’t have done it without so many people.
“It’s just pride for myself and pride that I get to prove to everybody that I deserve to be here and this is what I was born for.”
Watch Australia’s Paris 2024 swimming trials on Nine and 9Now.
Mollie O’Callaghan won the 100m freestyle final with a time of 52.33 seconds, ahead of Jack in 52.72.
The reigning Olympic gold medallist in the event, five-time Olympic champion Emma McKeon, won’t get the chance to defend her title, having finished sixth.
If you or anyone you know needs immediate support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or via lifeline.org.au. In an emergency, call 000