Olympics: History-maker Mona McSharry 'proud' with eighth-place finish

Sligo’s history-making swimmer Mona McSharry finished eighth in her Olympic final this morning - her time of 1:06.94 in the final - slightly outside of her semi-final race of 1:06.59 as American teenager Lydia Jacoby took a surprise gold.

“It’s amazing, thinking about it like that, that there hasn’t been anyone else who has done this in 25 years, I think it puts it into perspective," she said after the final.

"For me, racing in it is just another final - but it really is a lot more than that. It makes me feel so proud that I made it there.

McSharry in action during the final. Picture: INPHO/Morgan Treacy

“In the race it was hard to tell, I was really just trying to go for it. It definitely felt like a good race and anything sub 1:07 is a good race in my mind so I’m happy with the race. Of course it wasn’t a PB and was the slowest of the three rounds, but I think that comes as well from that there was a sense of relief in making it to the final so I was just excited to go out there and race and see what would happen.

"The worst that could happen was that I come eighth at the Olympics and that’s what happened so that’s not a bad result for my first event.”