IRELAND’S MONA MCSHARRY has won the bronze medal in the 100m Breaststroke final.
The 23-year-old produced a brilliant performance — her time of 1:05.59 was just off her Irish record 1:05.51, which was set in yesterday’s semi-final.
South Africa’s Tatjana Smith (née Schoenmaker) claimed gold with a time of 1:05.28, while Tang Qianting of China won silver with 1:05.54.
McSharry narrowly eclipsed the swimmers who shared fourth with identical times — Italy’s Benedetta Pilato and USA’s Lilly King had times of 1:05.60.
It's bronze for Mona McSharry in the women's 100m breaststroke! 🥉
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 29, 2024
The Sligo swimmer has secured Ireland's first medal at the Paris Olympics ☘️
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It is Ireland’s first medal at the Olympics in swimming since Michelle Smith in 1996.
McSharry was in fine company at the event – Tang is the reigning world champion, Smith was a silver medallist in Tokyo, while King was Olympic champion in Rio 2016 and a Tokyo bronze medallist.
“I’m very excited,” McSharry told reporters afterwards. “I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet that I’ve actually won a medal. I think once I get up on the podium it’ll all become real. I think it’s just amazing because years of hard work have paid off, and it just feels amazing.
“A little bit of relief, a little bit of wow, okay, this is actually happening, and then just really excited to be in that position.”
Asked if she knew what position she was in, McSharry responded: “I don’t think so. I could see the Chinese girl beside me and so I knew she was ahead of me, so I was like right I need to try and catch her because if she’s ahead then I don’t know what’s going on on the other side, I can’t see that.
“I had a bad first 50, my goggles filled up with water a little bit, so not a perfect race but I think it just shows that you’re in it until the end, you just have to keep going, and I was like I’m not giving up, I’m going, I’m going.
“I think there was 0.1 between me and the next two swimmers, so that’s kind of crazy. But that’s what racing’s about, close finishes.”
Elsewhere, in other Irish-related news, Siobhan Haughey won a bronze medal for Hong Kong in the 200m Freestyle with a time of 1:54.55.
The 26-year-old is the grand-niece of Charles Haughey, the former taoiseach of Ireland.
Additional reporting by Sinead O’Carroll in Paris
