Mona McSharry has won Ireland's first Olympic swimming medal since 1996.
The Sligo native took Bronze in the Women's 100-Metre Breaststroke beating Italy's Benedetta Pinato by just one-hundredth of a second.
It is Ireland's first medal of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
#BRONZE for Ireland! 🇮🇪
The third place medal goes to Mona McSharry in swimming women's 100m breaststroke! 🏊
This is Ireland's first medal in any women's swimming event since 1996!@TeamIreland | @WorldAquatics | #Swimming#Paris2024 | #Samsung | #TogetherforTomorrow pic.twitter.com/yFUPovcyr9— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 29, 2024
Gold went to South Africa's Tatjana Smith with the Silver going to Qianting Tang of China.
McSharry, a graduate University of Tennessee where she has been part of the swim programme under her coach Matt Kredich, becomes the first Irish swimmer to win an Olympic medal in 28 years - and notably the first Irish swimmer to ever win an Olympic breaststroke medal.
Mona McSharry sees her result at the Paris Olympics, 29-7-24. Image: via X/@swimirelandSpeaking after her win McSharry said it hadn't sunk in yet.
"I’m very excited - I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet that I’ve actually won a medal," she said.
"I think once I get up on the podium it’ll all become really real but I think it’s just amazing because it’s years of hard work that have paid off and it just feels amazing".
'In it until the end'
Asked what she thought when she saw the result she said: "A little bit of relief, a little bit of wow – OK this is actually happening, then just really excited to be in that position.”
Reflecting on the race itself, McSharry said it was a mixed bag.
"I could see the Chinese girl beside me so I knew that she was ahead of me so I was like 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," she said.
Mona McSharry with her Bronze Medal for the 100m Breaststroke at the Paris Olympics, 29-7-24. Image: X/@TeamIreland"I had a bad first 50m – my goggles filled up with water a little bit so not a perfect race but it just shows you’re in it until the end and you just have to keep going.
"I was like ‘I’m not giving up, I’m going, I’m going’ and I think it was 0.01 between me and the next swimmers so that’s kind of crazy, but that’s what racing is about – close finishes," she added.
President Michael D Higgins praised her "wonderful achievement".
Congratulations to Mona McSharry on her wonderful achievement in winning an Olympic bronze medal in the 100m breaststroke
— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) July 29, 2024
Taoiseach Simon Harris said it was "magic" from the Olympic swimmer.
"Unbelievable turn and technique at the halfway point and what a battle to the end to claim Team Ireland’s first medal," he said.
That’s was magic from Mona McSharry!
Unbelievable turn and technique at the halfway point and what a battle to the end to claim Team Ireland’s first medal. 🥇
Ireland is proud 🇮🇪 #Paris2024 #TeamIreland @TeamIreland pic.twitter.com/h5canue4Zk— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) July 29, 2024
Sports Minister Catherine Martin also congratulated McSharry on her "outstanding achievement".
Sligo's Mona McSharry wins Bronze for Ireland! 🙌🇮🇪🥉
Savour every moment of this outstanding achievement, Mona.
Truly well deserved 👏 #ParisOlympics2024 #Paris2024 https://t.co/TXIUsP2Qx5 pic.twitter.com/vD2CNA53Cj— Catherine Martin TD (@cathmartingreen) July 29, 2024
Earlier in the pool Ellen Walshe was eighth in the final of the 400-metre individual medley.
Danielle Hill was eighth in her semi-final of the 100-metre Backstroke.
