Mona McSharry (born 21 August 2000) is an Irish competitive swimmer. She is a two-time Olympian and won the bronze medal in the 100 metre breaststroke at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[1][2][3][4] McSharry is also a World Championships (25m) and European Short Course Championships bronze medalist, a junior world champion and a two-time junior European champion.

Mona McSharry
Mona McSharry in 2018
Personal information
Full nameMona McSharry
NationalityIrish
Born (2000-08-21) 21 August 2000 (age 24)
Grange, County Sligo, Ireland
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBreaststroke
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing  Ireland
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris 100 m breaststroke
World Championships (SC)
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Abu Dhabi 100 m breaststroke
European Championships (SC)
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Glasgow 50 m breaststroke
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Indianapolis 100 m breaststroke
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Indianapolis 50 m breaststroke
European Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Netanya 50 m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 2017 Netanya 100 m breaststroke
Silver medal – second place 2017 Netanya 200 m breaststroke
Silver medal – second place 2016 Hódmezővásárhely 100 m breaststroke
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Hódmezővásárhely 50 m breaststroke
European U-23 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Dublin 50 m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 2023 Dublin 100 m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 2023 Dublin 200 m breaststroke

McSharry is the holder of multiple national senior records, including 50 m, 100 m and 200 m breaststroke in both long course and short course, and 100 m individual medley in short course.[5]

Career

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McSharry won her first international medals when she placed second in the 100 m breaststroke and third in the 50 m breaststroke at the 2016 European Junior Championships. In 2017, she won the 50 m breaststroke and 100 m breaststroke events, and placed second in the 200 breaststroke at the European Junior Championships in Netanya. In August of that year, she won the 100 m breaststroke event and finished third in the 50 m breaststroke at the World Junior Championships in Indianapolis.[6]

McSharry won the bronze medal in the 50 m breaststroke at the 2019 European Short Course Championships in Glasgow.[7] She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, finishing eight in the 100 metre breaststroke event, and won the bronze medal in the 100 m breastroke at the 2021 World Championships (25 m).[8][9] On 29 July 2024, McSharry won the bronze medal in the 100 metre breaststroke at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[10][4]

Olympic Results
Year 100m 200m 4 × 100m

medley relay

2021 8th
2024   11th 11th (h)

Personal life

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McSharry grew up in Grange, County Sligo.[11] In 2019, McSharry and her family competed in the seventh series of the popular RTÉ reality competition, Ireland's Fittest Family.[12] They won the competition under the guidance of mentor, former rugby player, Donncha O'Callaghan.[13]

Records

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Record Event Time Meet Date Club
NR 50m breaststroke 30.29 Irish Championships 3 April 2023 Marlins
NR 100m breaststroke 1:05.51 Olympics Games 28 July 2024 Ireland
NR 200m breaststroke 2:22.49 Mel Zajac Jr. International Meet 22 June 2024 Unattached Tennessee Aquatics
NR 4×100m freestyle relay 3:41.75 World Championships 23 July 2023 Ireland
NR 4×100m medley relay 4:00.12 Olympics Games 5 December 2023
NR 50m breaststroke (SC) 29.59 World Championships 17 December 2021
NR 100m breaststroke (SC) 1:03.92 World Championships 20 December 2021
NR 200m breaststroke (SC) 2:20.19 World Championships 21 December 2021
NR 100m individual medley (SC) 59.35 World Championships 18 December 2021
NR 4×100m freestyle relay (SC) 3:41.09 Irish Championships 12 December 2019 Larne
NR 4×200m freestyle relay (SC) 8:07.86 13 December 2019 Kilkenny
NR 4×50m medley relay (SC) 1:49.31 European Championships 8 December 2019 Ireland
NR 4×50m freestyle relay (SC) 1:31.86 7 December 2019
NR 4×50m medley relay (SC) 1:41.00 5 December 2019

References

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  1. ^ "Nine Swimmers Join Team Ireland for Tokyo 2020". SwimIreland. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  2. ^ Watterson, Johnny; O'Riordan, Ian; Branigan, David (26 July 2021). "Tokyo 2020 Day 3: Blow for Annalise Murphy's medal hopes while McSharry reaches final". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  3. ^ Watterson, Johnny (26 July 2021). "Tokyo 2020: Mona McSharry's achievement a paradigm shift for Irish swimming". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b "McSharry wins Ireland's first medal at Paris Olympics". BBC Sport. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Records". SwimIreland. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  6. ^ Baldwin, Alan (31 July 2024). "Swimming-Irish success has been years in the making, says McSharry". Reuters.
  7. ^ Kenny, John (4 December 2019). "Bronze for Mona McSharry at the Europeans". RTÉ. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Mona McSharry runs out of steam and misses out on Olympic 200m breaststroke final". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  9. ^ O'Riordan, Ian (20 December 2021). "Mona McSharry claims a bronze medal at World Short Course Championships". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Paris 2024: Joy for Mona McSharry in taking 100m breaststroke bronze". RTE Sport. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  11. ^ Gallagher, Emma (1 May 2021). "Mona is the pride of Sligo". Sligo Champion. Sligo. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Ireland's Fittest Family: Meet the Families for 2019". RTÉ.ie. 29 October 2019.
  13. ^ "Sligo family named the winners of Ireland's Fittest Family 2019". RTÉ.ie. 15 December 2019.
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