World Championships Diary, Gwangju, July 14, 2019: Aussie Shayna Jack Out of Titles Due to Personal Reasons

Shayna Jack of Australia pulled out of the World Championships. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr/Swimming Australia Ltd.

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The the 2019 World Championships in Aquatics is underway in Gwangju, Korea, the FINA Doping Panel will hear the case of Gabriel Santos on the eve of pool racing, the FINA director says a Sun Yang hearing at CAS will take place in September, despite official answers that ‘no date’ has yet been set – and Emma McKeon is preparing for the races in the pool.

Each day through the event, Swimming World will bring you a round-up of news items in brief beyond our main coverage in our World Championships Diary.

Check out more of our complete World Championship coverage here.

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Shayna Jack announces withdrawal from World Championships via social media

Using her Instagram account, Australian Shayna Jack has announced her withdrawal from the World Championships, citing personal reasons. Jack posted: “It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from World Championships due to personal reasons. I appreciate everyone’s support and patience. Thank you all.”

Jack had qualified for the Aussie team as a member of the 400 and 800 freestyle relays, and her absence will deal those relays a heavy setback. With the 400 freestyle relay still featuring Cate Campbell, Bronte Campbell and Emma McKeon, the loss of Jack will be felt more heavily on the 800 freestyle relay. Missing Jack on the 400 free relay impacts the chance of the Aussies to go under 3:30, a feat never before accomplished.

Gabriel Santos faces FINA Doping Panel Hearing On Eve of World Championships

A hearing of the Doping Panel of FINA, the international swimming federation, into the positive test of Brazilian sprinter Gabriel Santos will be held on Friday July 19.

The judgment will decide whether Santos is eligible to race at the World Championships in Gwangju, the pool swimming scheduled to get underway on Sunday July 21.

The hearing will be held at 2pm local time in Gwangju. Santos is selected to race in the 4x100m freestyle relay on the first day of action, Brazil among medal contenders.

Santos, 23 and having raced for Brazil at the home Rio 2016 Olympic Games and 2017 World Championships, claiming medals at global level and last year at the Pan Pacific Championships, tested positive for Clostebol, related to ingredients to be found in Oral Turinabol, the drug that fuelled the German democratic Republic’s State Plan 14:25 systematic doping program in the 1970s and 1980s.

Santos had the right to request testing go his ‘B’ sample after his positive was revealed from testing conducted at the Institute Armand-Frappier in Laval, Quebec, Canada.

The news saw Santos suspended as a fledgling members of the DC Trident in the pro-team International Swimming League.

FINA’s decision will decide whether Santos gets to race in Gwangju – and whether he will be barred from the ISL full stop: the League has a policy of zero-tolerance on doping.

Sun Yang CAS hearing ‘in September’, says FINA Director

Extract from the FINA Doping Panel report – and the lead story in the Sunday Telegraph and Telegraph online

Though no date is said to have been set by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a hearing into the challenge by the World Anti-Doping Agency challenge to a FINA Doping Panel decision to set Sun Yang free after an out-of-competition test last years descended into acrimony and a failure to have either urine or blood samples tested, FINA’s director has suggested that the court will hear the case in September.

Though official replies from parties to the case this week have said ‘no date set’, Cornel Marculescu, FINA’s director, revealed in an interview with AFP that a hearing will take place in September.

Marculescu appeared more concerned about “leaks to the press” that about the fact that several months can pass between revelation of the details of a case, WADA’s intervention with a challenge to CAS, and a looming World Championships without the system handling a case that demands a firm answer when it comes to allowing Sun Yang to compete at the World Championships.

“It’s very damaging,” Marculescu told AFP in reply to a question about media coverage. “I do not know how it is possible that such a confidential thing could be broadcast to the public.”

Even so, Marculescu thought the matter “very simple”, adding:

“We have a decision of the FINA anti-doping commission, which is totally independent. By the rules, WADA can appeal – and that’s what it did – and CAS will hold a hearing in September, so we’re waiting to see what’s going to happen.”

Emma McKeon set for 200 free showdown

emma-mckeon-100-fly-2018-australian-trials-1

Emma McKeon; Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr/Swimming Australia Ltd.

Emma McKeon is at the top of her game heading into the World Championships. The 200 freestyle is poised to be the race of the meet on the women’s side as McKeon and compatriot Ariarne Titmus, along with Canadian Taylor Ruck will face U.S. star Katie Ledecky.

At the Australian Trials, McKeon used a fast start before hanging on to win the race in 1:54.55, the second-fastest time in the world this year. Titmus was second in 1:55.09. Titmus holds the fastest time in the world this year at 1:54.20, set at the national championships in April.

What is bringing the best out of McKeon?

“It is from my training,” Emma McKeon said. “I have been working really hard in the pool, but also in the gym. Getting a lot stronger is where I was lacking. I’d put it down to getting a lot stronger and gaining more confidence in my swimming again. Each year is different. It is always challenging. Knowing that I have done it before is giving me a lot of confidence.”

Both swimmers are helping the Aussies pose a serious threat to the United States in the 4×200 free relay after defeating them at Pan Pacs last summer.

“We are raising the bar for each other. It only pushes us harder and makes us go faster,” McKeon said.

More snippets from the World Championships will appear here throughout the day.

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Dave Crampton

4 years ago

???