Mona McSharry opened Ireland’s medal account for the 2024 Olympic Games on Monday evening in Paris.
The Sligo native who was a member of the Marlins Club in Ballyshannon under Coach Grace Meade took bronze in the Women’s 100-metre breaststroke final – Ireland first swimming medal in 28 years.
McSharry pipped Italy’s Benedetta Pinato to the wall by just one-hundredth of a second.
2016 Olympian Nicholas Quinn says McSharry’s medal will breed confidence in the Irish team.
Speaking directly afterwards McSharry said: “I’m very excited! 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 really real but I think it’s just amazing because it’s years of hard work that have paid off and it just feels amazing!
Asked what she thought when she saw the result she said: “A little bit of relief, a little bit of wow – okay this is actually happening! Then just really excited to be in that position.”
Reflecting on the story of the race itself: “I could see the Chinese girl beside me so I knew that she was ahead of me so I was like 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 fifty – my goggles filled up with water a little bit so not a perfect race but it just shows you’re in it until the end and you just have to keep going – I was like ‘I’m not giving up, I’m going, I’m going’ and I think it was 0.01 between me and the next swimmers so that’s kind of crazy, but that’s what racing is about – close finishes!”
“I’m still that little girl from Sligo” 🥉
The tears are in full flow as the reality of Olympic bronze sinks in for Mona McSharry #RTESport #Paris2024
📱Updates https://t.co/NhnQoPxaeE
📺Watch https://t.co/b2OI4OoWVJ pic.twitter.com/bq90VJUOak— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 29, 2024
Headphone warning 🚨😂
We caught up with Mona McSharry after she claimed bronze in the women’s 100m breaststroke🥉#BBCOlympics #Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/a4jYgtQA0W
— BBC SPORT NI (@BBCSPORTNI) July 29, 2024
WHAT A FINISH!!!! 🇮🇪
Mona McSharry brings home the bronze in a race in which the top five spots were separated by just 0.32 seconds!
She’s just the second Irish swimmer EVER to win an Olympic medal!!! pic.twitter.com/6su0KL89Kh
— Tennessee Swimming & Diving (@Vol_SwimDive) July 29, 2024
The hard work, the dedication, the sacrifices, the early mornings and long days, all for this 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁!
The Olympic dream!
An incredible performance from an incredible athlete 💚#TeamIreland | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/7hpsFCfX9B
— Swim Ireland (@swimireland) July 29, 2024
