Mona McSharry has made history by making the final of the 100m breaststroke thanks to a brilliant swim on Monday morning.
The 20-year-old Sligo woman finished fourth in her semi-final to qualify in eighth overall and become only the second Irish swimmer ever to make an Olympic final.
She clocked a time of one minute 6.59 seconds, just 0.3 of a second off her Irish record.
In an incredibly tense climax, McSharry made Tuesday's final by .01 of a second at the expense of Australian Chelsea Hodges.
"It's amazing," she told RTÉ Sport afterwards.
"This is my first event ever in the Olympics and I’ve made a final... with the past year and a half that everyone’s had, it’s unbelievable.
"No one's given a medal before they go in. We all have a chance. I’m definitely going to go for it.
"Everyone at home must be buzzing – but go back to bed for a few hours!"
'I feel a lot more confident in the way I swam that race' - Mona McSharry tells @OFlynnPaul about her delight in reaching the 100m breaststroke final #Tokyo2020 #RTESport #Olympics @swimireland pic.twitter.com/LaLJBKHAYL
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 26, 2021
Looking ahead to the final, McSharry said she is hoping to "pull the best bits of her last two races".
She will race from lane eight, where a winner from a final did come through on Sunday.
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