IRELAND’S MONA MCSHARRY has secured a bronze medal at the European Aquatics Championships.
The Sligo native finished with a time of 29.95 in the women’s 50m breaststroke final, breaking the Irish record (30.29), which she had set in 2023.
The race was won by Lithuania’s Rūta Meilutytė (29.93), while Benedetta Pilato (29.94) of Italy took silver.
McSharry previously secured silver and bronze in the 100m and 200m breaststroke.
Meanwhile, in the Women’s 200m butterfly final, Ellen Walshe finished fourth.
The Dubliner produced a time of 2.07.40, breaking her own Irish record of 2:07.48 set at last year’s World Championships, but was 0.19 seconds outside the podium.
Britain’s Keanna Macinnes (2:05.90) triumphed, followed by Danish star Helena Rosendahl Bach (2:06.14) and Laura Cabanes (2:07.21) of Spain.
Earlier in the competition, Walshe won a gold medal in the 200m individual medley and another gold in the 400m individual medley.
Advertisement
Walshe and McSharry’s combined five podium finishes saw Ireland finish eighth on the medal table.
“It’s crazy, I didn’t even realise that (it was so close),” McSharry said after today’s race. “I kind of just looked for my own spot, and I saw, again, the three little red dots on the block. I was like: ‘Oh, wow, I actually did it.’ I felt really good in that one, I think the heat and semi felt a little off the first 25m, and I was like: ‘I just need to trust myself that I go for it,’ and I did. I happily got my hand on the wall first, and I think it just shows that you’re never out of the race.”
“I’m really delighted, it definitely stung the back end, and I just didn’t have quite enough to catch the Spanish (Garzas),” Walshe added. “I’m absolutely delighted, I’ve been up the top of all my events this week, and that’s unusual, at an international meet to be on prime for all of them, so yeah, absolutely buzzing with the week.”
In the Men’s 50m Freestyle Final, Tom Fannon was sixth with a time of 21.59 – just off the Irish record of 21.58 that he set last month.
Nikita Sheremet of Ukraine took gold in 21.13, Russian swimmer Egor Kornev (21.37) secured silver and Serbia’s Andrej Barna (21.37) won bronze.
In the Women’s 4x100m medley relay final, the Irish team finished sixth.
Lottie Cullen, Mona McSharry, Ellen Walshe and Grace Davison comfortably broke the previous Irish record (4:00.12), finishing with a time of 3:57.26.
Great Britain won gold in 3:53.50, while Italy (3:53.60) and Neutral Athletes B (3:53.79) earned silver and bronze respectively.
In addition to the five medals, Irish swimmers contested 10 finals, advanced to a further 12 semi-finals and set 11 Irish senior records.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Mona McSharry claims third medal at European Aquatics Championships
IRELAND’S MONA MCSHARRY has secured a bronze medal at the European Aquatics Championships.
The Sligo native finished with a time of 29.95 in the women’s 50m breaststroke final, breaking the Irish record (30.29), which she had set in 2023.
The race was won by Lithuania’s Rūta Meilutytė (29.93), while Benedetta Pilato (29.94) of Italy took silver.
McSharry previously secured silver and bronze in the 100m and 200m breaststroke.
Meanwhile, in the Women’s 200m butterfly final, Ellen Walshe finished fourth.
The Dubliner produced a time of 2.07.40, breaking her own Irish record of 2:07.48 set at last year’s World Championships, but was 0.19 seconds outside the podium.
Britain’s Keanna Macinnes (2:05.90) triumphed, followed by Danish star Helena Rosendahl Bach (2:06.14) and Laura Cabanes (2:07.21) of Spain.
Earlier in the competition, Walshe won a gold medal in the 200m individual medley and another gold in the 400m individual medley.
Walshe and McSharry’s combined five podium finishes saw Ireland finish eighth on the medal table.
“It’s crazy, I didn’t even realise that (it was so close),” McSharry said after today’s race. “I kind of just looked for my own spot, and I saw, again, the three little red dots on the block. I was like: ‘Oh, wow, I actually did it.’ I felt really good in that one, I think the heat and semi felt a little off the first 25m, and I was like: ‘I just need to trust myself that I go for it,’ and I did. I happily got my hand on the wall first, and I think it just shows that you’re never out of the race.”
“I’m really delighted, it definitely stung the back end, and I just didn’t have quite enough to catch the Spanish (Garzas),” Walshe added. “I’m absolutely delighted, I’ve been up the top of all my events this week, and that’s unusual, at an international meet to be on prime for all of them, so yeah, absolutely buzzing with the week.”
In the Men’s 50m Freestyle Final, Tom Fannon was sixth with a time of 21.59 – just off the Irish record of 21.58 that he set last month.
Nikita Sheremet of Ukraine took gold in 21.13, Russian swimmer Egor Kornev (21.37) secured silver and Serbia’s Andrej Barna (21.37) won bronze.
In the Women’s 4x100m medley relay final, the Irish team finished sixth.
Lottie Cullen, Mona McSharry, Ellen Walshe and Grace Davison comfortably broke the previous Irish record (4:00.12), finishing with a time of 3:57.26.
Great Britain won gold in 3:53.50, while Italy (3:53.60) and Neutral Athletes B (3:53.79) earned silver and bronze respectively.
In addition to the five medals, Irish swimmers contested 10 finals, advanced to a further 12 semi-finals and set 11 Irish senior records.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
ellen walshe Mona McSharry Swimming Take a Bow Tom Fannon