“The Court of Arbitration for Sport has tonight handed down a decision in my case after a long awaited 17 months,” she captioned a photo of herself in a swimming cap and googles.
“The CAS have confirmed in emphatic terms that I did not intentionally, knowingly or recklessly use Ligandrol in any manner. There was no evidence produced by my accusers as to how this substance entered my system.”
With her ban dating back to July 2019, Shayna will now be eligible to be back in the pool by July 2021.
“I have proven that I have NOT ever cheated, nor used prohibited substances intentionally or knowingly,” she continued. “I will still incur two years out of the sport in which I love. I cannot change the rules and the rules will remain as they are for the time being. Therefore, I accept this decision with a positive attitude and with gratitude that my career as a swimmer will resume next year.
“I have never doubted myself for a minute throughout this ordeal and I have never allowed my integrity to be compromised,” she added.
“I walk a little taller tonight with the fact that this ordeal is finally over. I am returning to swimming.”
The 5ft 8 blonde shot to fame alongside her world record-breaking 4x100m relay team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which included sisters Bronte and Cate Campbell and Emma McKeon. The foursome clocked a time of 3 minutes, 30.05 seconds, breaking the 3:30.65 time the sprint team marked at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics two years prior.
After the update of Shayna's doping saga was announced this week, Cate slammed the media's "harmful" treatment of her former teammate as a "gross miscarriage".
"I think the hysteria that has surrounded Shayna’s case has been despicable, on so many counts," she told The Sydney Morning Herald. "You have people up on domestic violence charges, sexual assault charges, they get two days in the media. This girl was hounded and on the front page of newspapers for weeks on end.
"There has been a gross miscarriage when it comes to her treatment, which is disappointing and harmful for Shayna as a person."
"If you read the facts, you should be sympathetic," she added. "This is a complete accident and it could have happened to anyone. It could have been Cate Campbell. That’s the terrifying reality of being an elite athlete."
Shayna has consistently suggested the banned substance got into her system via contamination.
"I remember posting [a statement] on Instagram then just crying and crying until I had no tears left. Nobody really understood how much it broke me. I’m still broken,” the athlete previously said in an emotional interview with The Sydney Morning Herald.
