A STUNNING performance has booked Mona McSharry’s place in the semi-finals of the 100m breaststroke at the Olympic Games.
On her Olympic debut, McSharry was third in her heat, finishing in 1:06.39.
McSharry, a graduate of the Marlin’s Swimming Club in Ballyshannon, was in a loaded heat won by South African Tatjana Schoenmaker, whose time of 1:05.82 represents a new Olympic Record.
US swimmer Lydia Jacoby (1:05.52) was second in the heat with McSharry’s time seeing her through as the ninth-fastest of the 16 qualifiers.
University of Tennessee student McSharry was 31.06 seconds at the turn and she was just a tenth of a second off her 1:06.29 personal best.
In April, McSharry set a new PB of 1:06.97 at the Irish Olympic Trials to seal qualification. That week, she bested the time again, going 1:06.29 in the semi-final.
Qualifying, McSharry said, was a ‘dream come true’.
A month later, she was a finalist in the 100m breaststroke at the 2021 LEN European Aquatics Championships, finishing seventh at the Danube Arena in Budapest.
Four years ago, McSharry was the World Junior Champion, swimming a then National Record of 1:07.10 to scoop gold in Indianapolis.
At the same Championships, McSharry won 50m breaststroke bronze.
McSharry will go in heat 1 of the women’s 200m breaststroke on Wednesday morning.
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