“Dreams really materialise!” said Mona McSharry, becoming only the second Irish swimmer to clinch an Olympic medal by delivering an outstanding performance to secure a bronze in the women’s 100 metres breaststroke final in Paris.
Claiming the bronze, McSharry outpaced Italy’s Benedetta Pilato and the USA’s Lilly King by an ultra-slight margin of just 0.01 seconds.
Ranked as the second fastest overall, the swimmer from Co Sligo had already made a name against some of the most skilled specialists worldwide before the final. However, ascending the podium was still a massive challenge given the fierceness of the competition.
Right from the start, McSharry demonstrated a strong performance and maintained pace with the ultimate winner, South Africa’s Tatjana Smith, and China’s reigning World Champion Tang Qianting, who secured the silver medal.
However, as the finish approached, Pilato and King started surging, leaving McSharry questioning whether her performance was sufficient.
And indeed it was. Just barely so.
McSharry then savoured the victorious moment with gold medallist Smith.
“The thought of not just going to the Olympics, but winning a medal seemed quite far-fetched to my younger self,” she recounted post-event.
“It’s wonderful to have a fair amount of supporters present here. I really missed that in Tokyo,” she added.