Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
MONA MCSHARRY WEPT with delight as she became Ireland’s first medalist at the Paris Olympics, and the first Irish swimmer to medal since 1996.
McSharry won bronze in the women’s 100m breaststroke at the La Defense Arena, finishing just 0.01 seconds clear of fourth place.
“I started crying on the podium and I haven’t fully stopped yet”, said McSharry. “It’s just the pinnacle of sport to have all your hard work pay off in something like this, at this moment.
“There’s been a huge progression, it’s definitely down to a lot of hard work and dedication to trying to be the best I can be, and keep pushing to be better. All athletes will relate with the fact that once you do something, you’re straight on to wanting to do the next best thing.”
McSharry’s goggles filled with water as she dived into the pool, but she did not allow it to encumber her on her way to history. “Sure look”, she said, “no race is perfect.”
While yesterday she exuded calm, McSharry admitted to feeling nervy ahead of the final.
“I was definitely a little bit more nervous. I rushed through my prep tonight so I had a little more time in the prep area, sitting and waiting, thinking, ‘Oh my God I don’t want to sit here now’. I felt myself getting nervous. But that’s when you have a great group of people around you to chat to and distract you.”
The blocks of the pool light up with a corresponding number of red dots for those who finish first, second, and third, and this was how McSharry realised she had fended off the challenge of Italy’s Benedetta Pilato in fourth place.
“The Chinese swimmer beside me got second, but then I saw the three dots I was over the moon. I turned to see my time, but times don’t matter in a final. It’s about hands on the wall.”
Following that initial rush of glory, McSharry had to steady herself to make sure she soaked it all in.
“I got a little flustered after I won it, and I had to calm myself down. ‘You need to take in the moment here. We need to really enjoy this. I don’t think I’ve ever cried for a medal before. That shows how big a deal it is.”
And as she stood on the podium, she could not ignore the tougher moments, those which she came through for her greatest moment of all. McSharry flirted with quitting the sport in 2022, but righted herself the following year.
“Before I did it, I would have said, ‘Can I really do that?’ And now I have it I’m like, ‘What’s next?’
“I had a flashback to all the hard work I’ve been going through this year, the tougher moments and the moments where I thought, ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’
“That was really nice. And then scanning the crowd and watching the flag go up. It’s just a bunch of emotions and just unbelievable energy.”
It was a moment born nine years earlier.
“I have been telling myself I am going for a medal all year, and this was in the plan when I sat down with my coach in 2015. We said that 2020 would be the feeler Olympics and 2024 would be where we get stuff done. It’s been in the works for a while, there have been doubts in there, I have always had the expectation I could do it.”
There is little time for celebration, however, as McSharry races again in the 200m breaststroke on Wednesday morning.
“We are not done yet! Try and calm down tonight, and I might get a chocolate muffin, that’s my sweet delight.”
What hangs from her neck is much sweeter.
Windows phone hasn’t really got any traction in the market. One interesting thing is that a lot of people who have the phones really like them. I have used a Windows phone since Windows 7 and I am on my third upgrade. I think to fully appreciate the advantages you have to use the features. There is excellent integration of cloud storage, email and contacts with your Microsoft account. You can open office attachments in email and edit on the go. It is also excellent if you want to add a work email account and have in a separate window with it’s own tile. For the game enthusiasts there is an excellent selection of Xbox games. Most of the popular social media apps are available bit it is true that there is less choice than apple or android. I think the failure of windows 8.1 on desktop probably put a lot of people off windows phones. Ironically Windows 8.1 is really nice on a windows phone. The emergence of Windows may make people look a bit closer at Windows phone. Anyway looking forward to my Windows 10 upgrade in the new year.
By the way I don’t work for microsoft
That’s some decent storage
Due upgrade was thinking of switching to android Samsung s6 but my cloud storage, contacts email etc arevon Microsoft I wonder is there much hassle or should I get a 950
It’s useful for my purposes with OneNote, Office Lens and integration with Office but not as adaptable as Android.
I just upgraded to the 950 from a Samsung Galaxy S5. So far, I’m impressed. What I find nice are the little things that make using the phone easy. Searching for apps / contacts on the phone is really intuitive. the groove music app is great too. And one nice feature is the ability to put playlists directly on the front tiles. great for Bluetooth integrated cars / speakers etc…
On the downside, I does overheat a fair bit, and I would recommend a cover for it, but generally I’m impressed. I haven’t tried out the continuum integration yet, but I will get to that at some stage.
The devices look great but no one is going to fork out €600 or a long contract on something they might hate. Maybe some sort of like it or your money back guarantee could be good.
It may be a device you can flip to Android if you don’t like Windows
To write as a CON that Windows 10 is buggy and needs works is just pathetic if you don’t back it up with examples. Anyway have you ever seen an OS without bugs??? I feel the CONS are just written because you couldn’t find any…
In the same boat dropped my 925 on a wooden floor and the screen went in bits. Not it’s first fall to be fair!
“With an infrared light glowing while it searches for you, it quickly recognises you and unlocks your phone, making for a more convenient experience than a fingerprint.” .. I got the new iPhone 6s plus and I just have to touch the sensor and they thing unlocks. the problem is that the Camera on the Lumia is not as good as iPhone. I moved to android for a year, got the note 3, liked the phone and size, but the camera was not great and I didn’t really use the stylus much. its hard to beat an iPhone.
It’s quite easy to beat an Iphone. Drop it on a soft pillow and the screen cracks! I’ve dropped the Lumia on a tiled floor and it was grand.Tough aul phones Nokias!
You`re are one of the lucky one`s RTibe . I dropped my 925 Lumia about a year ago, and the screen went to s**t. Loved that phone. Replaced it with a 1520 Lumia, which I picked up preowned for a steal. If you can get past it`s size it`s a superb phone with excellent specs. Everybody too their own I say. And Robert in my opinion the Lumia camera is the best you can get on a phone, just saying!
Hardcore fans = codeword for employees of Microsoft, the only people who seem to use Lumina phones
I don’t work for them and am on my third Lumia. Excellent storage, really good camera and feels more solid than most androids. However I will admit, the lack of apps is an issue. Not enough to put me off though!
have your say