Swim Ireland - Mona McSharry Through to Another Semi-Final in Japan

 

Mona McSharry has secured a place in the 200m Breaststroke on the fifth day of racing at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. McSharry has already secured Olympic qualification and was fifth in Tuesday’s final of the 100m Breaststroke.

The Sligo woman, swimming in the third heat, went out quickly and was first at the 100m turn, her competitors began to catch her in the second 100m with the USA’s Kate Douglas the fastest qualifier from the heat in 2:25.50. McSharry would finish fifth in 2:26.59 and qualifies in sixteenth place overall.

Speaking after the race McSharry said ‘Feeling pretty good, it felt relatively comfortable for a 200m in the morning so that’s kind of exciting, hopefully I can build on that tonight and go faster. I feel like the smallest tweaks in the 200m can make a world of difference, so it would just be nice to play around with that tonight.’

The Women’s 200m Breaststroke Semi-Final takes place this afternoon at 1:19pm.

In the Men’s 200m Breaststroke Darragh Greene was just shy of making the semi-final. Greene won his heat in 2:12.21, finishing in eighteenth place overall. Greene is back in action on Sunday for the Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay.

16-year-old John Shortt made his senior international debut in the Men’s 200m Backstroke. Shortt, from Galway, came home under the two-minute mark in 1:59.79 for twenty second place overall. The 200m Backstroke was Shortt’s only event of the Championships, but the National Centre Limerick and Bluefin swimmer will continue preparations in Japan for the LEN European U23 Swimming Championships taking place in Dublin from August 11th – 13th.

Victoria Catterson had a solid performance in the 100m Freestyle touching in 55.56, just outside her personal best of 55.21. Catterson returns to the pool on Sunday for the Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay.

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Thursday 27th July Results

Women 100m Freestyle Victoria Catterson 55.56 (26th)

Men 200m Backstroke John Shortt 1:59/79 (22nd)

Women 200m Breaststroke Mona McSharry 2:26.59 (16th)

Men 200m Breaststroke Darragh Greene  2:12.21 (18th)

 

Thursday 26th July Schedule

Women 200m Breaststroke Semi-Final Mona McSharry 1:19pm (Ireland)

 

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.

For relays, the top three teams in Olympic relay events in Fukuoka will confirm places for Paris, with the remaining thirteen teams coming from the top times in Fukuoka and the Doha World Aquatics Championships.

Swimming at the World Aquatics Championships will take place from Sunday 23rd to Sunday 30th July.

Trish Mayon Head of Communications and Sponsorship Liaison