Sligo’s Mona McSharry became the first Irish swimmer to qualify for an Olympic final in 25 years following her stunning display in semi-final of the 100m Breaststroke in Tokyo this morning.
McSharry finished in fourth in a race which was won by Tatjana Schoenmaker, the South African who had already set a new Olympic record earlier in the heats. McSharry clocked a 1:06.59 time, 1.52 seconds behind Schoenmaker to book her place in Tuesday morning’s final.
Turning at the 50m mark in 31.62, McSharry sat in sixth place, but an outstanding push in the second half of the race saw her finish fourth and seal her spot in the final
“I’m over the moon,” an elated McSharry said afterwards.
“That was the target, to make it round by round and when I got through the semi-finals yesterday it was just the plan to compete and race and try to make it into a final.
“I knew it was going to be tough. I was in ninth, already having moved up from my starting position so I knew it was going to be a push. Everyone is swimming really fast and it’s competitive. I’m just so happy to get another opportunity to race tomorrow.”
Ranked 11th coming into the event, McSharry placed ninth in the heats before improving her position to qualify in eighth for the final. The final will take place on Tuesday, July 27 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.