Australian Olympic swimmer James Magnussen announced his retirement last year, after winning 15 medals for Australia at major international events over 10 years.
Despite being a leading face of Australian swimming for many years, the 29-year-old attracted controversy when he was fined for his role as part of the ‘Stilnox six’.
In an upcoming episode of SAS Australia, set to air on Monday, the swimmer, nicknamed The Missle, will candidly discuss the fallout from the incident.
Open: Australian Olympic swimmer James Magnussen (pictured) discusses his role as part of the ‘Stilnox six’ in an upcoming episode of SAS Australia
‘I’ve copped some pretty decent sprays off members of the public. That I’m a drug cheat, that I shouldn’t represent my country.
‘That their taxpayer money pays for me and I let them down. It was probably the lowest point of my life to date.’
The two-time world swimming champion calls the incident the ‘biggest regret’ he has in the emotional interview, which occurs during an honesty task from Directing Staff member, Ant Middleton.
The past: The Stilnox scandal took place during the 2012 London Olympics where he and some teammates took the sleeping pills as part of a bonding session during a pre-Games camp
‘Myself and a few of the other boys on the swim team had a bonding night before the Olympic Games where we took Stilnox, prescription sleeping tablets, that was banned on the team at the time,’ he explained.
‘Later on that came out in the media. I had to explain to family and friends what I’d done and how I’d let them down.’
The Stilnox scandal took place during the 2012 London Olympics where he and some teammates took the sleeping pills as part of a bonding session during a pre-Games camp.
In a candid interview on the Spartan Sports Talk podcast in 2017, the swimmer said he held lingering resentment over the scandal.
Candid: The two-time world swimming champion calls the incident the ‘biggest regret’ he has in the emotional interview, which occurs during an honesty task on the show
Open: ‘I’ve copped some pretty decent sprays off members of the public. That I’m a drug cheat, that I shouldn’t represent my country,’ he said
He revealed how he almost fell into a depression despite rebounding from the incident to win his second world championship.
‘I don’t know what goes through peoples head who are in depression or have mental health problems or things like that, but I think the closest I’ve ever come to some sort of depression would be post-London,’ James told the podcast.
‘I was almost scared to go out of the house when I got back to Australia because I was really worried that people were disappointed in me or upset at me.’
‘I’d like to say I’d do it differently if I did it again, but how do you tell a 20-year-old guy who’s just gone two years straight without losing a race that, when asked if he thinks he’s going to win a race, he should say ‘I’m not sure’.’
James added: ‘That their taxpayer money pays for me and I let them down. It was probably the lowest point of my life to date’
‘It’s hard. The one thing in the lead-up to the London Games I was, was honest.’
James won the world 100-metre freestyle titles at the 2011 and 2013 world championships in Shanghai and Barcelona, respectively.
In 2012, he also won silver in the 100-metre freestyle at the London Olympics coming in behind US gold medalist Nathan Adrian by just 0.1 second.
Following shoulder surgery in 2015, he returned to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympics where he won a bronze medal as part of the Australian 4×100 freestyle relay team.
Difficult: In the past, James had revealed how he almost fell into a depression despite rebounding from the incident to win his second world championship
In June 2019, the swimmer announced that he was retiring from the sport.
‘I have taken the time to make the best decision for myself moving forward and to do that I wanted to make sure I was in the best space mentally and physically before announcing my retirement,’ The Port Macquarie native said.
‘I believe now is the right time to step away from the sport. I have enjoyed every moment and every experience, good or bad, and it has shaped the man that I am today.’
The swimmer concluded: ‘I have always been proud to stand on the starting blocks representing my family, my friends and my country. There is no greater honour or responsibility.’
Retired: In June 2019, the swimmer announced that he was retiring from the sport