Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Mona McSharry with her Olympic bronze medal.James Crombie/INPHO Mona McSharry 'Best decision I could have made' - McSharry's revival after five months on USA's west coast Mona McSharry will be competing at the Irish Open Swimming Championships next week. 3.49pm, 3 Apr 2025 Share options MONA MCSHARRY DIDN’T swim at all during her five-month trip of America’s West Coast. Not once. A paddle in saltwater was all she wanted after winning a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. “I stood in the sea,” she says. “That was about it.” This was a break she needed. Badly. It was two years in the making, planning it all with her friend Roisín who took a career break from teaching to be her travel companion. They left shortly after the Olympics and were still making the final arrangements in the build-up to the Games. Before McSharry left for Paris, the pair sat down for a few hours to settle on the stops in their route. Eyes sometime widened when she spoke of the length of her break, but there were no dissenting voices. They wouldn’t have stopped her in any case. Whatever was coming in Paris couldn’t sway her either. “If the result was really good, then I get to go on this trip,” she says of her mindset of the time. “And if they weren’t what I was hoping, I still get to go on the trip.” It was just a happy coincidence that she was Ireland’s first medal winner at the Olympics, clocking a brilliant 1:05.59 to take a podium position in the 100m Breaststroke final. Originally, McSharry was going to travel with her dog in her mini cooper. But a chat with her coach Grace Meade prompted her to bring a friend along. Advertisement Switching off from swimming was a tricky transition to begin with. Seeing her competitors get back into training put a lump in her throat. She trained a little bit too, fitting in some running and circuits in the early stages of the trip. But McSharry gradually pulled back and realised she needed to fully take in the road ahead. McSharry in the women's 4 x 100m medley relay at the Paris Olympics.Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO “Towards the end, unless I want to do this for my mental health, I don’t need to do this. I’ll be fine and I’ll be back into full training in a month or two. “It was amazing. The best decision I could have made. I think if I skipped that part, I would have been mentally and physically drained trying to come back and swim. I think it was about five months off completely from sport and just enjoy not having a schedule.” McSharry is three months back in training, and feels all the better for the time she took away from the pool. She found her strokes within about two weeks. The Irish Open Swimming championships are next week, and the World Championships are in July. But McSharry doesn’t have any concrete goals at the moment. “I think that’s allowing me to be free of those pressures and still push myself. Having the trip really allowed me to be comfortable with that and know it’s ok to not have a goal or be right at the top now. I’m climbing my way back up. “I’ve been gearing for a medal for so long and that was the goal way before I even made the first Olympics. After getting eighth at the 2020 Olympics and making a final which was something I did not expect, I came out thinking I have to be the best at everything I do. I have to win everything and that was a lot of pressure and honestly, a little bit unrealistic because that’s not going to happen. “I think that put me in a downward spiral so allowing myself a little bit of a breather out of the last Olympics and not have a specific goal but know that I’m training to be better and see how fast I can go.” Whispers of retirement followed McSharry in the wake of the Olympics. Talk of her long break potentially caused some confusion on that point. She pauses when asked about it again, but says that nothing is certain regarding her future. “The break definitely helped with giving me a new lease of life. I haven’t committed to anything long term yet but it’s not in the back of my mind. I’m enjoying training at the moment and I could go for another two or three years. Who knows?” The trip also offered her a small insight into life after competitive swimming and the importance of not fearing the end. “I got a taste [for what retirement will be like]. It would be lovely if my life after swimming could look like a never-ending road trip but that’s sadly not the case.” For now, McSharry has just finished her swimming season with the University of Tennessee and is studying for a Masters. The course finishes in December at which point she will decide if she wants to stay or leave. She’s hopeful for a big turnout at the Irish Open in the National Aquatic Centre, where fellow Olympian — and double medalist Daniel Wiffen will also be swimming — will certainly draw a crowd. McSharry is happy to be fully back in the water. “That would be great to see a full stadium again. I remember at U23s, the stadium was packed for that week in Dublin. It was so much fun and to see something similar to that would be great. And to promote swimming outside of an Olympic year would be great.” Sinead Farrell Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'Best decision I could have made' - McSharry's revival after five months on USA's west coast”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “'Best decision I could have made' - McSharry's revival after five months on USA's west coast”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. 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