SWIMMING sensation Mona McSharry will attempt to qualify for the Olympic Games this week.
McSharry, a native of Grange in County Sligo, is a graduate of the Marlin’s Swimming Club in Ballyshannon and is now a student at the University of Tennessee.
McSharry goes in the 100m breaststroke and 200m breaststroke events this week in the Irish National Team Trials at the National Aquatic Centre.
“At the moment I’m just focusing on qualifying, there’s no need to focus on whether the Olympic games is going to happen yet because I’m not going yet,” she said.
Last month, McSharry broke her own school record in the 200m breaststroke and also bested the school’s 100m breaststroke record at the Women’s NCAA Swimming and Division Championships.
McSharry won silver in the 100m breast, turning in a school record of 57.80. seconds.
The time eclipsed her own previous best, just a month after she took the time off Olympian Molly Hannis, 58.22 set in 2013. McSharry was fourth in the nation in the 100m breaststroke with her 57.80 effort, while in the 200m, she was third in the nation, taking her own record again in 2:05.01.
Last autumn, McSharry made the move Stateside and she said of her time across the Atlantic so far: “It was nice to focus less on time and just on winning a race and being competitive, which is what I’ve worked on really well this year, and being able to swim with 40 other girls who are somewhat better than me in some cases and I’m pushing them in other cases.
“It made me work a lot harder in training I think as well so, all in all, it was a really good choice and I’m glad I’ve made it.”
Her top event is the 100m breaststroke, needing 1:07.07 to book a place in Tokyo. Her PB is 1:07.10.
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