Updated at 17.33
MONA MCSHARRY has secured a spot in the final of 100m Breastroke event at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha.
The Sligo native will go into the final with the second-fastest time of 1:06.11 — just outside her Irish Record of 1:05.55
Earlier, McSharry finished second in her heat in a time of 1:06.49.
The 23-year-old, who has already qualified for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, was third overall.
“I’m really happy,” she said after the semi-final. “Progressing it on from the morning, which was my main goal. I’m excited to see what I can do tomorrow. I have a good lane, so just race.
“I’ve set myself up in a good position like I want to do in the summer, so you just get to the final and race what’s in the pool next to you. It’s going to be really good practice just to get my hands on the wall first.”
Meanwhile, Conor Ferguson set a new PB of 53.90 to finish 13th in his 100m Backstroke semi-final, just .16 off the Olympic qualifying time.
Earlier, Ferguson broke the 54-second mark for the first time in his career with a previous personal best swim of 53.95 in the heats. He finished second in his heat, and 11th overall.
𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟮 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀 // 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗦
— Swim Ireland (@swimireland) February 12, 2024
A brilliant swim from Conor Ferguson who finishes second in his heat!
✅First time under 54 in 53.95
✅ Through to SEMI-FINAL in 11th#AQUADoha2024 pic.twitter.com/zho6n7eYt0
Ferguson’s previous best time was 54.01.
“First of all, praise be to God,” he said after the semi-final.
“Bittersweet [about not getting to the final] because I have to be happy with it. A PB, it’s moving in the right direction.”
Ferguson will compete again as part of the Irish relay team on Sunday and will have further chances to qualify for the Olympics, with the Irish Open in May.
“I have to now re-focus, recover for this relay,” he added. “We have a real opportunity to get that relay across the line. I’ve got to look forward to that and just get my head back in the game.”
Elsewhere this morning, Maria Godden clocked 1:01.99 for 20th place overall in the 100m Backstroke.
Additional reporting by Paul Fennessy
