The former forensic scientist was given a baptism of fire in her new role but says she has the skillset to tackle the combustible world of sport

Sarah Benson is the forensic scientist who has been appointed sport’s top cop as chief executive of Sport Integrity Australia. Her CV includes working on federal police responses to the Bali bombings, the downing of MH17 in Ukraine and the volcanic eruption on New Zealand’s White Island.

That experience prepared the 47-year-old for a not-straightforward initiation, where she found herself at the centre of the ferocious debate around illicit drugs in sport just as the AFL and the code’s players were finalising an update to the controversial “three-strike” policy.