MONA McSHARRY has admitted she was too scared to look at her phone after winning an Olympic medal.
But with a bronze in the bag already from the 100m breaststroke, she is hoping to simply enjoy the 200m.
The Sligo swimmer edged out one hundredth of a second quicker than Italy’s Benedetta Pilato in fourth and fifth-placed Lilly King of the USA, who already has five Olympic medals to her name.
And, although she got to briefly celebrate with friends and family, she was daunted by the amount of time it might take her to sift through the congratulatory messages.
She said: “I’m a little scared to look at my phone, I think once I start I’m not going to be able to stop.
“I got to hug my family, cousins, a big group of Irish people that were down at the bottom behind the podium so that was great.
“No words were spoken but a lot of smiles and happiness, that was really nice.”
She does not get too long to savour her success as she is back in the pool on Wednesday morning for the 200m heats.
But the 23-year-old is determined to savour that experience rather than fretting about the outcome given what she has already achieved.
She said: “The 200m is something that I’ve really gotten quite fast at so I’m trying not to put a lot of pressure on myself but also be excited for the potential in that event and just go out there and have fun.
“I can maybe be a little less nervous knowing that I made it through the heats and the semis and the final of the 100m and made it out the other side.
“So hopefully I can just carry a little bit enjoyment of the moment and soaking it all up rather than getting worried about what happens in the event.”
That has been what she has tried to do anyway having been on the brink of quitting the sport at the end of 2022 after a tough year following the Tokyo Olympics, when she also reached the 100m final, coming eighth.
She said: “I’ve had a huge shift in the last couple of years in the way that I look at swimming.
“I focused more on enjoying the process of getting faster and enjoying the little moments, rather than the end result, and just knowing that regardless of what happens in the pool, I’ll just be so proud of myself.
“It’s such a small snapshot of everything we do this year and all of the years building up to this – the really great moments – and all of the friends that you make, all the hard work you put in.
“Training to be the best in the world at something is pretty cool and enjoying those moments is something I’ve really shifted my focus to and then just enjoying getting a medal too.”
SMELLS LIKE TEAM SPIRIT
And it has been made all the more enjoyable given she is part of a successful team with Daniel Wiffen expected to medal in the 800m freestyle tonight and Ellen Walshe reaching a final and Danielle Hill a semi-final last night.
She said: “It’s amazing to be a part of.
“Doing it by yourself is one thing but then having a team around you that are also making finals and semi-finals and doing things they’ve never done before, and being a part of that, I’m really just loving every moment for them.
“Knowing they’re loving every moment for me is just all what sports is about.
“I’m so excited to just continue supporting my teammates throughout this week and they’ll continue to support me as well.
“It’s just great to be a part of such a close-knit team, it’s really nice to watch the progression of everybody.”