LAST UPDATE | 18 Dec 2021

TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIAN, Mona McSharry has now set a new Irish senior record in four of her five races at the World Short Course Swimming Championships, after setting a new standard for 100m Individual Medley in Saturday’s semi-final.

Taking place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, the Championships are World Swimming’s finale of 2021 and the culmination of the short course (25m pool) season.

McSharry broke her own 100m Individual Medley Irish senior record in the heats, when swimming 59.65 to become the first Irishwoman to go under a minute in this event.

She went into the semi-final ranked joint 15th and stormed home in 59.35 to move up the 13th place overall.

That brings her total tally of Irish senior record swims at this meet to four, having bettered the 50m Breaststroke record in the semi-Final and final. That now stands at 29.59.

With fellow Olympian Ellen Walshe breaking a 27-year-old record in the 400m Individual Medley heats, and then bettering that in the Final, Ireland has now achieved six new Irish senior records at this championships.

McSharry returns to action on Sunday morning in the 100m Breaststroke heats, where she will be joined by Niamh Coyne. This is the event in which McSharry became Ireland’s first Olympic finalist in 25 years at Tokyo 2020.

Also swimming on Sunday is Calum Bain in the 50m Butterfly heats, Danielle Hill in 50m Backstroke and the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay team, set to feature Jack McMillan, Jordan Sloan, Finn McGeever and Robbie Powell.

Also swimming this morning’s heats was Bain of Tyrone. Based at Stirling University in Scotland, he was bang on his lifetime best time of 21.61 in the 50m Freestyle heats. He finished 20th overall.

Earlier, 400m Individual Medley silver medallist Ellen Walshe clocked 26.33 in her 50m Butterfly heats to finish 22nd. Her next events come on Monday when she is scheduled to swim 100m Butterfly and 200m Individual Medley.

All the action can be followed via fina.org.

- Report courtesy of Swim Ireland.