The Olympic Federation of Ireland has officially selected 12 swimmers and two divers, who will compete at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.
It’s Ireland’s largest ever aquatics team for an Olympics.
Sligo’s Mona McSharry is part of that team and will compete in three Olympic events: the women’s 100m breaststroke (she was a Tokyo finalist in this event in 2021), the 200m breaststroke and 400m medley relay.
The Swimming will be held in the La Défense Arena in Paris from July 27th to August 4th.
McSharry has been completing her Olympic preparations at her US base of the University of Tennessee, where she qualified in May with a Degree in Kinesiology.
She will link up with the rest of the Irish swimming team at a pre-Games camp in the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin on July 17th – before Team Ireland fly out to France.
At the Tokyo Games three years ago, the Grange woman became the second Irishwoman in history to reach an Olympic swimming final, finishing eighth in the 100m Breaststroke (1:06.94) with a top-20 spot in the 200m version (2:25.08) also achieved.
Prior to this in 2017, Mona was a World Junior Champion in the 100m Breaststroke and a European Junior Champion at 50m & 100m Breaststroke, before claiming a senior European short-course bronze medal (50m Breaststroke) in 2019.
She was also a World Championships (25m) bronze medallist in 2021.
After a difficult 2022, McSharry bounced back in 2023, making three finals at the World Aquatics Championships (50m) in Fukuoka and then narrowly missing a medal at the same event in 2024 in Doha.
She was to claim a golden hat-trick at the European Aquatics U23 Championships in Dublin and in June this year, she was to add a second event in Paris as she smashed her own Irish 200m record by over two seconds, recording 2:22.49 at the Mel Zajac International in Vancouver.
Team Ireland Swimmers for Paris
Mona McSharry (University of Tennessee), Female 100m Breaststroke, 200m Breaststroke, 400m Medley Relay
Victoria Catterson (National Centre, Dublin), Female 400m, Freestyle Relay, 400m Medley Relay (*)
Grace Davison (Ards SC), Female 400m Freestyle Relay, 400m Medley Relay (*)
Tom Fannon (National Centre, Dublin), Male 50m Freestyle
Conor Ferguson (Loughborough University), Male 400m Medley Relay
Darragh Greene (National Centre, Dublin), Male 400m Medley Relay
Danielle Hill (Larne SC), Female 100m Backstroke, 50m Freestyle, 400m Freestyle Relay, 400m Medley Relay
Max McCusker (Millfield School, England), Male 400m Medley Relay
Erin Riordan (National Centre, Dublin), Female 400m Freestyle Relay, 400m Medley Relay (*)
Shane Ryan (National Centre, Dublin), Male 400m Medley Relay
Ellen Walshe (Templeogue SC), Female 100m Butterfly, 200m IM, 400m IM & 400m Medley Relay
Daniel Wiffen (Loughborough University), Male 800m Freestyle, 1500m Freestyle & Open Water 10km
(*) – TBC following Female 400m Freestyle Relay
Divers
Ciara McGing (Ohio State University) Female 10m Platform
Jake Passmore (City of Leeds) Male 3m Springboard.
