Mona McSharry sets new Irish record to win 200m gold at Irish Open

Mona McSharry clocked a new Irish record to bag her second gold of the Irish Open Swimming Championships in Bangor.

The Marlins Swimming Club ace, a day after winning the 50m breaststroke gold, surged to gold in the 200m breaststroke - and still has the 100m breaststroke event to come on Saturday.

The 25-year-old from Grange, who won the 100m breaststroke bronze at the 2024 Olympic Games, has been in fine form this week.

McSharry came through her 200m heat on Friday morning in 2:23.03, which was a new Championship best, and bettered that time again in the final.

McSharry swam a 2:22.22 race to take gold from Ellie McCartney (National Centre, Limerick), who was second in 2:25.72, and third-placed Niamh Connery who finished in 2:333.49.

McSharry’s time eclipsed the 2:22.49 Irish record she set in 2024 in Canada.

McSharry won the 50m final in 30.43 seconds having breezed through her heat in 30.36 seconds.

In the 50m final, McSharry was two seconds in front of Eimear Doyle of UL, who left with silver in 32.06 while Isabel Kidney from the National Centre, Limerick, landed bronze, finishing in 32.51.

In 2024, McSharry joined an elite pantheon when winning bronze in the 100m breaststroke at the Olympic Games in Paris. 

Last month, at the Tyr Pro Swim Series in Westmont, Illinois, McSharry won 50m breaststroke gold and silver in the 100m version.

Read next: Girl power: Three more Donegal boxers advance to Irish finals

In the US Open, she took gold in the 50m, tied for second over 100m and landed a 200m bronze.

At last year’s World Aquatics Swimming Championships World Cup, McSharry won five medals across three weekends and set five Irish records in the same period.