Mona McSharry

{{Infobox swimmer

| name = Mona McSharry

| image = Mona McSharry (IRL) 2018.jpg

| caption = McSharry in 2018

| fullname = Mona McSharry

| nationality = Irish

| strokes = Breaststroke

| club =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2000|8|21|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Grange, County Sligo, Ireland

| origin =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height =

| weight =

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry | {{IRL}}}}

File:Olympic rings.svg

{{MedalBronze | {{GamesName|SOG|2024}} | {{nowrap|100 m breaststroke}}}}

}}

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.{{cite web|title=Nine Swimmers Join Team Ireland for Tokyo 2020|url=https://www.swimireland.ie/news/nine-swimmers-join-team-ireland-for-tokyo-2020|work=SwimIreland|date=7 July 2021|accessdate=13 July 2021}}{{Cite news|last1=Watterson|first1=Johnny|last2=O'Riordan|first2=Ian|last3=Branigan|first3=David|title=Tokyo 2020 Day 3: Blow for Annalise Murphy's medal hopes while McSharry reaches final|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/tokyo-2020-day-3-blow-for-annalise-murphy-s-medal-hopes-while-mcsharry-reaches-final-1.4630570|date=26 July 2021|access-date=2021-07-27|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}}{{Cite news|last=Watterson|first=Johnny|title=Tokyo 2020: Mona McSharry's achievement a paradigm shift for Irish swimming|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/tokyo-2020-mona-mcsharry-s-achievement-a-paradigm-shift-for-irish-swimming-1.4630905|date=26 July 2021|access-date=2021-07-27|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}} 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.

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.{{cite web |title=Records |url=http://www.swimireland.ie/competitions-events/records-rankings-results |accessdate=13 July 2021 |work=SwimIreland}}

Career

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.{{Cite news |last=Baldwin |first=Alan |date=July 31, 2024 |title=Swimming-Irish success has been years in the making, says McSharry |url=https://www.reuters.com/sports/olympics/swimming-irish-success-has-been-years-making-says-mcsharry-2024-07-31/ |work=Reuters}}

McSharry won the bronze medal in the 50 m breaststroke at the 2019 European Short Course Championships in Glasgow.{{Cite news |last=Kenny |first=John |date=4 December 2019 |title=Bronze for Mona McSharry at the Europeans |url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/swimming/2019/1204/1096967-three-irish-swimmers-make-semi-finals-in-glasgow/ |access-date=27 August 2024 |work=RTÉ}} 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).{{Cite news |title=Mona McSharry runs out of steam and misses out on Olympic 200m breaststroke final |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/2024/07/31/mona-mcsharry-runs-out-of-steam-and-misses-out-on-olympic-200m-breaststroke-final/ |access-date=2024-08-02 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=O'Riordan |first=Ian |date=December 20, 2021 |title=Mona McSharry claims a bronze medal at World Short Course Championships |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/mona-mcsharry-claims-a-bronze-medal-at-world-short-course-championships-1.4760294 |access-date=2024-08-27 |website=The Irish Times |language=en}} On 29 July 2024, McSharry won the bronze medal in the 100 metre breaststroke at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.{{cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/paris-2024/2024/0729/1462473-eight-place-for-walshe-in-400-im-final/ |title=Paris 2024: Joy for Mona McSharry in taking 100m breaststroke bronze|date=30 July 2024|work=RTE Sport|accessdate=30 July 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/articles/cgxqd0vvgx0o |title=McSharry wins Ireland's first medal at Paris Olympics|date=30 July 2024|work=BBC Sport|accessdate=30 July 2024}}

class="wikitable"

|+Olympic Results

!Year

!100m

Breast

!200m

Breast

!4 × 100m

medley relay

2021

|8th

|—

2024

|{{bronze03}}

|11th

|11th (h)

class="wikitable"

|+World Championships Results

!Year

!50m

Breast

!100m

Breast

!200m

Breast

!4x100m

Free Relay

!4x100m

medley relay

2017

|—

|24th

|—

2021 (25m)

|4th

|{{bronze03}}

|7th

|—

2023

|11th

|5th

|15th

|13th

2024

|8th

|5th

|—

Personal life

McSharry grew up in Grange, County Sligo.{{cite news |last1=Gallagher |first1=Emma |date=1 May 2021 |title=Mona is the pride of Sligo |url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/sligo/sport/other-sports/mona-is-the-pride-of-sligo/40370957.html |access-date=28 May 2023 |work=Sligo Champion |location=Sligo}} In 2019, McSharry and her family competed in the seventh series of the popular RTÉ reality competition, Ireland's Fittest Family.{{Cite journal|date=2019-10-29|title=Ireland's Fittest Family: Meet the Families for 2019|url=https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/living/2019/1029/1086207-irelands-fittest-family-meet-the-families-for-2019/|language=en|journal=RTÉ.ie}} They won the competition under the guidance of mentor, former rugby player, Donncha O'Callaghan.{{Cite web|date=2019-12-15|title=Sligo family named the winners of Ireland's Fittest Family 2019|url=https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/living/2019/1213/1098972-sligo-family-named-the-winners-of-irelands-fittest-family-2019/|language=en|work=RTÉ.ie}}