A historic medal for Irish swimming within touching distance, Mona McSharry was then cruelly denied it, relegated from second to fifth in a frantic finish to the 100m breaststroke at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan on Tuesday.
McSharry won a bronze medal in the World short-course event in 2021, and looked set to become the first Irish swimmer ever to win a medal in the long-course championships. She finished in 1:06.07, the 22 year-old from Sligo just shy of her Irish record set in qualifying, and just 0.13 of a second off bronze, having held second going into the last 10 metres.
It took three of the best swimmers in the world to deny her, indeed all four women in front of her are already Olympic gold medal winners. The 2012 Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte from Lithuania took gold in 1:04.62, Tokyo 2020 200m breaststroke champion Tatjana Schoenmaker of South Africa second in 1:05.84 and Tokyo Olympic champion in the 100m breaststroke Lydia Jacoby of the USA third in 1:05.94
Also edging her for fourth was Rio 2016 gold medallist and world record holder in the event, Lily King of the USA, who finished in 1:06.02. For McSharry, who swam inside the Olympic qualification time for Paris 2024 three times in the past two days, there was little consolation in coming so close
“I think looking at it, it’s obviously a little painful, especially not swimming fastest in the final hurts,” she said. “But it’s all learning experience and when I look at the people that came ahead of me, world champions, record holders, Olympic champions, so to be up there and racing against them and have it be such a close race is giving me a great confidence boost.
“I just have to carry on to the rest of the events this week and not let it take me down. I think it’s great to be able to practice racing against those people for the Olympics next year because that’s the main goal in my mind. It’s just training and preparing for that meet, so look it’s a great result, fifth in the world, I can’t be too upset with it.”
She returns to the pool on Thursday for the 200m breaststroke heats, although by then Ireland may have claimed that first medal, with Daniel Wiffen, who also swam the Olympic qualification time in a new Irish record of 7:43.81, going in the 800m freestyle final on Wednesday (12.02pm Irish time).
Swimming in the final heat, Wiffen, also 22, found himself alongside the three Tokyo Olympic medallists in the 800m freestyle; Bobby Finke from the US (gold), Gregorio Paltrinieiri from Italy (silver) and Mykhailo Romanchuk from Ukraine (bronze) took a lead after the first 100 metres and swam stroke for stroke, knowing if they could keep the pace, they would be through to the final, the Armagh swimmer coming home first.
“I’m feeling great, that’s obviously job one done which was to qualify for the Olympics, and then to progress to the final was next so I’ve done both in a really great race,” he said. “My plan was to be as easy as possible, and I was maybe hoping for a tiny bit faster but I’m really happy I made it back and it wasn’t too taxing on the body.”
Australia’s Sam Short, who won 1500m freestyle Commonwealth Games gold ahead of Wiffen’s silver medal last year, is the fastest qualifier for the 800m freestyle final in 7:40.90. Danielle Hill also returns to the pool for the 50m cackstroke, while Shane Ryan makes his championship debut in the 100m freestyle.
The World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka is the first of three opportunities for Irish swimmers to secure individual Olympic places, the second being the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar in February 2024, and the third being the Irish Open Swimming Championships in May 2024.
