Aussie Olympics star Shayna Jack reveals the incredibly romantic words she and her partner exchanged when they got engaged
- Olympic swimmer Shayna Jack is now engaged
- Boyfriend Joel Rintala proposed in Rome
- As a result, Jack won two gold medals in Paris
Australian Olympian Shayna Jack has revealed the details behind her romantic engagement to long-term partner Joel Rintala.
Jack, 25, was on holiday in Rome when her now fiancé – an Australian hockey player – convinced her to see the famous Trevi Fountain.
It was a late evening in August, and after the swimmer played tourist in Italy and threw a coin into the water, Rintala asked what she wished for.
“I said I couldn’t tell him or it wouldn’t come out, but he persisted and said, ‘Come on, tell me,’ so I replied, ‘Well, obviously a life spent with you.’ ,’ said Jack. News Corp.
“Then he took out the ring and said, ‘Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me?’
The answer was an emphatic yes – and followed Jack winning gold in the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relay finals at the Paris Games earlier this year.
Jack felt it was her sporting redemption after a two-year drug ban, but it seems some scars will never heal when it comes to ruthless online trolls.
After Australian swimming coach Brett Hawke declared that China’s Pan Zhanle beating Kyle Chalmers by a body length in the 100m freestyle final in Paris was ‘humanly impossible’, chaos ensued.
Australian Olympian Shayna Jack has revealed the details behind her romantic engagement to her long-term partner Joel Rintala (pictured together)
Shayna Jack (left) won gold in the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relay finals at the Paris Games
It was a moment of redemption after the 25-year-old served a two-year ban for testing positive for Ligandrol, a banned substance that can help repair and build muscle
Many Chinese swimming fans were outraged by accusations that their hero Zhanle was a drug kingpin – and Jack the easy scapegoat.
She was attacked on her Instagram, with cruel syringe emojis and comments on her medal photos suggesting she was not a “clean” athlete.
It made Jack realize that she will always be linked to doping, regardless of her performance in the pool.
But Jack has chosen to ignore the hate and focus on other projects, namely her recent collaboration with popular sportswear brand LSKD.
She also plans to jump off the blocks at the 2028 LA Olympics.
“I definitely have the motivation to come back,” Jack said.
‘I also enjoy being part of this [Aussie Dolphins swim] team, and I just love racing.
“This is just the beginning for me…hopefully there’s still a story to tell…that I’m proud of how far I’ve come.’