Sligo’s Mona McSharry finished eighth in the Olympic final on Tuesday morning in Tokyo.
Swimming in lane eighth, she clocked a time of 1min 06.94secs, slightly outside her own PB.
The race was won by 17-year-old Lydia Jacoby from the USA in lane 3 in a time of 1min 04.95secs.
Defending champion Lilly King finished third.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport after the final, the 20-year-old said it was amazing experience and thanking the thousands of people who had sent her good luck messages ahead of the final.
“I think I put in a good fight. I’m happy to come away from my first ever Olympics with an eighth place. It’s really not that bad…” – Mona McSharry reflects on her first Olympic final pic.twitter.com/PVAzc8kTqr
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 27, 2021
She said she was excited that it’s only three more years to the next Olympic Games – Paris in 2024.
Her parents Aidan and Viola were interviewed live from Grange after the Grange and expressed their delight with Mona’s Olympic performances this week.
Mona’s Tokyo Olympics aren’t over yet – she’ll be back in the pool on Wednesday to compete in the heats of the women’s 200m breaststroke.
