Mona McSharry has indicated Paris is ‘most likely’ her last Olympic Games.
The Grange woman completed her Olympics programme on Saturday by helping the Ireland women’s 4×400 metres mixed relay team to a new Irish record of 4:00.12.
The quartet also included Danielle Hill, Ellen Walshe and 16-year-old Grace Davison.
Ireland finished sixth in their semi-final and 11th fastest overall, which wasn’t quite good enough to make the final.
McSharry won a memorable bronze medal medal for Ireland last Monday in the final of the indvidual women’s 100m breaststroke.
After Saturday’s relay race, during an interview with RTÉ Sport, she said: “Knowing that is most likely my last Olympics, I’m really happy to come away with a medal.”
She was immediately being urged by her team-mates to keep going.
McSharry, who’s 23, could conceivably compete at the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
The winner of this summer’s 100m breaststroke gold, Tatjana Smith of South Africa, is 27 – which suggests McSharry could be a viable medal contender again in four years time, if she’s willing to continue at the elite level.
She has already indicated her intention to take an extended break from the sport following the Paris Games.
Watch the Ireland relay team’s postrace interview here.
