At a world swimming titles where Mack Horton has taken an anti-doping stance against Sun Yang, American champion Lilly King says she considers Australia's Shayna Jack a "drug cheater" like the Chinese star.
After initially claiming Jack had left the world titles team for "personal reasons", Swimming Australia said on Saturday the 20-year-old had actually failed a routine out of competition drug test on 26 June.
Swimming Australia could not provide any more details about the results.
News of Jack's failed test broke at a world titles campaign in South Korea where Australia's Horton has caused international headlines for his stand against Sun.
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Horton refused to join Sun - who served a drug ban in 2014 - on the podium after the Chinese star relegated him to 400m freestyle silver, sparking an international furore.
US breaststroke champion King has also been an outspoken critic of Sun at the titles.
Swimmers were angry Sun had been allowed to contest the titles ahead of a Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing in September.
But when a Chinese reporter asked King why she called Sun a cheat and not Jack, King said: "She is a drug cheater.
"She has tested positive on a drug test. I don't know the details on the case so we will see."
But King did not think Jack's positive test had tarnished Australian Horton's anti-doping crusade at the titles in Gwangju.
"I don't think necessarily, I think all swimmers are standing up for clean athletes," she said.
"It shouldn't matter what country they're from even if they're from your own country - doping is doping so I don't think it should affect the protest too much."
Australian veteran Cate Campbell said no member of the Dolphins team knew of Jack's positive test.
"I had absolutely no knowledge of this before tonight. All I knew before is that it was a personal matter and we were respecting her privacy," she said.
"I think that we have to respect the process. We stand for clean sport and I think the fact that Shayna isn't here at the moment strengthens that stance."
Australian swimmer Shayna Jack is seen after her heat of the Women's 200 metre Freestyle at the World Swimming Trials on 11 June 2019.
AAP
