Following our Women Footballers in Kazakhstan last week, Irish swimmer Mona McSharry secured another major Irish win by sweeping the 100m Breaststroke titles at the World Aquatics World Cup.
Her Astana victory also earned her $10,000.
After winning gold at the stops in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, McSharry delivered her fastest swim of the series on Thursday to make it three wins from three.
The 26-year-old touched home in 1:04.03, just 0.19 seconds outside her 2025 Irish record of 1:03.84. Russia’s Evgeniia Chikunova took silver in 1:04.76, with Tes Schouten of the Netherlands completing the podium in 1:05.13.
“There was definitely a bit of pressure this week,” McSharry told World Aquatics afterwards.
“You want to be able to get better and swim faster, and I was able to do that, so I’m happy. Having the tactics to be able to calm the nerves is really important and just going back to being confident in my ability.”
Three consecutive victories give McSharry a strong story for sponsors and supporters to follow, while the prize money highlights the earning opportunities available through the World Cup circuit.
Ellen Walshe also competed on Thursday, finishing fourth in the 400m Individual Medley in 4:29.27, her second-fastest performance in the event across this World Cup series.
Both Irish swimmers return to action tomorrow. McSharry will seek to prevent Chikunova from completing a Triple Crown in the 200 m Breaststroke, while Walshe lines up in the 100m Individual Medley and 200m Backstroke.
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Image Credit: Swim Ireland
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