Bronze medal swimmer Mona McSharry: My goal at the Olympics is to do better than I’ve ever done before

Ireland's Mona McSharry celebrates with her Bronze medal after the Women's 100m Breststroke Final. Picture: Peter Byrne/PA Wire

This article was first published on July 19, 2024.

When we speak, Olympic swimmer Mona McSharry is walking her dog, Luna, through Knoxville, Tennessee, where she is training.

Luna, an American pit bull terrier mix, is a “huge couch potato”, says the 23-year-old, adding it’s a good thing because she enjoys taking a relaxing walk with the dog when her training is done.

The Sligo woman heads to Paris on July 23 and plans to spend a few days in Ireland beforehand.

“I think once I get to Dublin and I’m in the holding camp, it’ll all get very real,” she says, “which is fine but it’s nice to be able to be somewhat disconnected over here so you’re not getting nervous too early.”

How do you keep fit?

My workout schedule is pretty set in stone. We’re down to eight swim sessions because we’re tapering [ahead of the Olympics] — three gym sessions, and then I do a decent amount of walking with my dog.

Do you have a morning routine?

It depends on whether I’m swimming, but let’s say on a morning when I’m either swimming or working out, I’ll normally get up between 5.30 and six o’clock. I’ll make some breakfast — a good go-to is sourdough bread with avocado and fried eggs.

I’ll drink my coffee and usually take Luna on a 15-minute walk around the block. I’ll go swimming or to the gym to work out, then come back around nine o’clock and have another breakfast. That’s a great thing about being an athlete — you eat a lot of food.

What keeps you up at night?

With the Olympics approaching, I sometimes catch myself reviewing things I’ve done that day, overanalysing, and being really harsh on myself.

Sometimes, that can keep me awake, but normally, by the time my head hits the pillow, I’m pretty tired, so I usually just conk out.

What traits do you least like in other people?

I don’t have a lot of time for people who cut corners or cheat and those who can’t do hard work. I’m a pretty hard worker and a no-complaining kind of person.

Also, arrogance pushes me the wrong way. I’ve no problem with people being confident but there’s a line. If people are not compassionate towards others, it drives me up the wall.

What traits do you least like in yourself?

I can be really stubborn, and I get locked down. I’m also very hard on myself. I’m pretty shy, but I’m very open with the people I love, so they normally get the brunt of my stubbornness if I’m not in a good mood. 

When I’m around people I don’t know, I just close up into a quiet shell, regardless of how I feel.

Who is your sporting hero?

I’ve gone through a few in my time, but one that always pops into my head is Katie Taylor. She just has a lot of determination, a lot of drive. I watched her compete live at European Championships and it was just so cool to be on the same team as her.

When was the last time you cried?

We had a pretty intense training week and I think the pressure got to me. It wasn’t that the session was going badly, but sometimes, if I don’t do something absolutely outstanding or spectacular during training, I feel like it’s a failure. 

So, even though I might be going the times that I’m supposed to be going, if they’re not a second or two seconds faster, I’m freaking out. That got the better of me last week, so I was welling up a little bit at the pool.

What are your hopes for the rest of 2024?

My goal at the Olympics is to do better than I’ve ever done before, which would be better than eighth in the 100m and making it out of the heats in the 200m. 

Then, post-Olympics, I’m looking to spend some time loving friends and family, just chilling out and seeing whether I want to be done with swimming, or whether I want to continue.