Mona McSharry has finished fifth in the final of the 100m breaststroke in the European short course championships in Copenhagen.
The 17-year old Sligo swimmer was the eighth-fastest qualifier for Saturday afternoon's final and entered the race as an outsider.
However, competing in her first senior international final, she set a new Irish record of 1:05.01 and finished in fifth spot, only 0.2 seconds outside the medal places.
What a super performance from @MonaMcsharry for 5th place in the 100m Breaststroke Final in a new IRISH SENIOR RECORD of 1:05.01, brilliant in her first senior final! 🇮🇪 #EuroSwim2017
— Swim Ireland (@swimireland) December 16, 2017
The performance completes a wonderful year for the swimmer, who claimed Ireland's first ever gold medal at the world junior swimming championship in August.
A delighted McSharry spoke after the race: "It was unbelievable, even to walk out there and the crowd was going crazy and that whole atmosphere, that’s why I do this, because I want to be in those finals and I want to be doing as good as I can. I got a PB (personal best) and a new Irish Senior Record so it’s unbelievable really."
