Event: Swimming
Who is she? A prodigious 17-year-old who, despite her youth, has swiftly risen to become one of the country’s top swimmers.
She recently became Ireland’s youngest ever swimmer to win a medal at a major event, breaking the Irish 50m Breaststroke record in the process, as she secured a silver medal at the European Championships in Debrecen last May.
She thus made a seamless transition from junior European medallist to senior European medallist in an incredibly short space of time.
Road to London: McMahon sealed her qualification in the European Championships semi-finals 100m breaststroke event, as she finished second in her race with a time of 1:08.37, simultaneously qualifying for the final of the championships.
What she says about herself: “It’s everyone’s dream to win a medal at the Olympics, it’s my dream too and hopefully one day that can happen. I hope [the European Championships] is just the start of me winning major medals, I want more for sure.” – The Belfast Telegraph
Medal chances? Judging by the swift impact she’s made on the sport, McMahon seemingly has the natural talent to win a medal. How she performs will probably largely depend on her temperament and ability to cope with the enormity of the occasion.
At 17, it’s a lot to ask for her to win a medal, but her impressively fearless displays thus far suggest she can contend with the world’s top swimmers, if all goes according to plan. Jimmy is feeling generous for once.
If you meet her in a bar, ask her… what she’s doing there. She’s not legally allowed to drink yet.
On the Twitter: You can follow @sycerika for an insight into what life is like for one of Ireland’s most acclaimed and prodigious sports personalities – if she lets you that is, her Twitter account is protected.
If she was a YouTube video, she’d be… Justin Bieber in his rawest incarnation, possessing an abundance of natural talent that belies youth.
YouTube credit: kidrauhl
This is a fantastic series. I’ve lived abroad for 12 years and have really only caught Irish olympians by chance. This has given me a chance to schedule my viewing around our atheletes. Bravo. P.S. Is the whole series to be found as a block on this site?
Hi Adrian. Thanks for the kind words. If you click on the “Read more of TheScore’s “London 2012: Introducing” series here>” link at the bottom of the piece, I think you’ll find what you’re looking for.