Sport

Mona McSharry through to European Championships breaststroke final

The 21-year-old moved up the rankings after finishing second just behind world champion Benedatta Pilato

Ireland’s Mona McSharry in action during Friday's semi-final in Rome. Photograph: Andrea Staccioli/Inpho
Ireland’s Mona McSharry in action during Friday's semi-final in Rome. Photograph: Andrea Staccioli/Inpho
Fri Aug 12 2022 - 18:48

Ireland’s Mona McSharry is through to Saturday’s 100m breaststroke final at the European Swimming Championships in Rome.

McSharry entered the semi-finals as the fifth seed with a time of 1:07.11, but the 21-year-old moved up the rankings after finishing second in 1:06.44, just behind world champion Benedatta Pilato of Italy (in 1:06.16). She progresses in third overall behind Pilato and 2012 Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania (in 1:06.44).

McSharry, who finished seventh in this final in the 2021 edition of the championships in Budapest, is the Irish record holder in 1:06.29, which she swam at the 2021 Olympic trials in Dublin.

Niamh Coyne was also in action in the 100m breaststroke semi-finals, where the 21-year-old improved on this morning’s heat swim, touching in 1:08.00 for sixth in the semi-final and 11th overall.

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On Saturday, Shane Ryan dives in for his first swim of the week in the 100m Butterfly where he is joined by Brendan Hyland and Max McCusker. Victoria Catterson swims the 200m Freestyle, an event she broke a 25-year-old Irish record in at the Commonwealth Games earlier this month.

Danielle Hill returns for the 50m Backstroke and Darragh Greene, a semi-finalist in the 100m Breaststroke, swims the 200m Breaststroke with Eoin Corby.