Mona McSharry breaks her Irish 200m breaststroke record in Canada

Nathan Wiffen finishes fourth in 1500m freestyle final

Mona McSharry. Photograph: Alex Slitz/NCAA Photos via Getty
Mona McSharry. Photograph: Alex Slitz/NCAA Photos via Getty

Mona McSharry, competing in Canada yesterday, has broken her own 200m breaststroke Irish record in 2:22.49 in the heats, backing it up with a 2:22.68 in the final.

McSharry took two seconds off her 2:24.50 Irish record from 2023 at the Mel Zajac International in Vancouver and is now ranked seventh in the world this year.

Already having achieved the Olympic Qualification Time in the 100m breaststroke for Paris in Fukuoka in 2023, McSharry’s time is under the 200m breaststroke OQT and so will give her the opportunity to swim the event at the Games.

In Belgrade, Wiffen led the pack out in the opening laps with a fantastic display in Sunday’s 1,500 metres freestyle final and stopped the clock on 15:10.64 to finish fourth in Europe. The Loughborough swimmer closed out his week with two European final appearances in what was just his second senior international meet. Meanwhile, Shane Ryan was in and out of the water in 22.17 to finish eighth in the 50m freestyle final.