LAST UPDATE | 29 Jul

MONA MCSHARRY HAS won a Bronze medal for Ireland in the 100m breaststroke at the Olympics.

The 23-year-old Sligo woman swam the 100m breaststroke final in Paris La Defense Arena tonight. 

It is the first medal in Olympic swimming for Ireland in 28 years. 

McSharry’s time was 1.05.59.

She finished only narrowly behind silver medallist Tang Qianting of China (1.05.54) and gold medallist Tatjana Smith of South Africa (1.05.28).

In the semi-final, McSharry swam a personal best time of 1.05.51, ahead of two-time Olympic gold medalist Lilly King, who came tied fourth in the final this evening.

Speaking after the race before the medal ceremony, McSharry said that it hadn’t fully sunk in yet that she has won a medal. “I think once I get up on the podium it’ll all become real.”

“I think it’s just amazing because years of hard work have paid off. It just feels amazing,” she said.

She said there was “a little bit of relief” and “a little bit of wow, okay, this is actually happening, and then just really excited to be in that position”.

She said that during the race, she “could see the Chinese girl beside me and so I knew she was ahead of me, so I was like right I need to try and catch her because if she’s ahead then I don’t know what’s going on on the other side, I can’t see that”.

“I had a bad first 50, my goggles filled up with water a little bit, so not a perfect race but I think it just shows that you’re in it until the end, you just have to keep going, and I was like I’m not giving up, I’m going, I’m going.

“I think there was 0.1 between me and the next two swimmers, so that’s kind of crazy. But that’s what racing’s about, close finishes.”

Additional reporting by Lauren Boland