Walshe claims World Cup bronze in new Irish Record, McSharry sets new Breaststroke Record

BRONZE: Ireland’s Ellen Walshe and Mona McSharry got their 2025 short course (25m pool) season underway in fine form in Carmel, Indiana on Friday at the first stop of the World Aquatics World Cup, with a bronze medal and two new Irish Records. Picture: Ian MacNicol/Sportsfile

Ireland’s Ellen Walshe and Mona McSharry got their 2025 short course (25m pool) season underway in fine form in Carmel, Indiana on Friday at the first stop of the World Aquatics World Cup, with a bronze medal and two new Irish Records.

Walshe, competing in the 200m Butterfly, claimed a brilliant bronze in 2:05.07, smashing Ireland’s oldest short course record, Michelle Smiths 1997 record of 2:07.04.

In the heats, the Templeogue swimmer clocked a personal best of 2:07.24, given her record-breaking form of nine Irish Short Course Records and six Irish Long Course (50m) Records from last season, it was then inevitable that the record would go in the finals.

The USA’s Regan Smith took gold in a World Cup Record of 2:00.28 with her team-mate Alex Shackell taking silver in 2:02.51.

Mona McSharry was also in impressive form in Carmel, with a new 200m Breaststroke Irish Record in the heats. The Olympic bronze medallists went under two minutes twenty for the first time clocking 2:19.95, breaking Niamh Coyne’s 2021 record of 2:20.19.

In the final, McSharry touched in 2:20.03 to place fifth overall.

Both swimmers return to racing on Saturday, Walshe in the 400m Individual Medley and McSharry in the 100m Breaststroke