I had the privilege of meeting Mona McSharry at a recent UCD Alumni event held at The Consulate of Ireland in San Francisco. Mona took bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics for 100m breaststroke. It was an intimate group of ~100, mostly Bay Area Irish Diaspora, holding strong to their proud heritage.
Mona was very generous with her time and in addition to a great panel moderated by Galvea Kelly, founder of Brand Nua, she lingered before and afterwards, graciously answering all the questions, which ran the gamut from “what was your workout schedule, your daily diet and how did you stay focused all those years”.
Of course any Olympic medalist is impressive, but in this case, Mona was even more so because she’s from a small town in a small country, is highly driven and on top of that, is humble, thoughtful and willing to share her journey in the most authentic way.
Grit and Determination
Mona told the group that she’s harder on herself than even her own coaches and support team that have been by her side for years. Growing up in Sligo, Ireland next to a beach, Mona learned to swim at a young age. Her parents suggested swimming as a good “life skill” and Mona fell in love with the water from the start. She went on to join the local club and from there won national competitions and with that same core team won European championships. Early on Mona knew that breaststroke was her best and she learned how to fine tune and perfect every part of her stroke and race because milliseconds matter.
Two-time Olympian
Once Mona realized she was destined for Tokyo 2020, she laser focused on the task at hand, and actually shared “I treated it like a job”. Of course her academics remained important, with many sacrifices along the way such as missing the debs dance or in America, known as the highschool prom. An early riser, Mona’s day started with a healthy breakfast to sustain her through two hours of training in the pool, before school.
Mona placed 8th at the Tokyo Olympics and was extremely proud of making it to the finals. No small accomplishment at the age of 20. On the world stage, it’s obviously high pressure and getting to the podium comes down to 00’s of a second. “You have good days and bad days and you never know how it’s going to go on the day. I’ve been in plenty of races where I came fourth and it doesn’t ever feel good”.
Mona learned early on that she had to pick herself up and stay focused on her goal of getting to the podium. She learned that it was more important to take each day and concentrate on the actual journey and process and less about focusing only on that end result.
We all know that mistakes are a key part of learning. It’s easy to give up and call it a day or take a different path when things don’t go to plan. At least in your head. It’s much harder to pick yourself up at every stumble and remain steadfastly focused, when you know that you’ve got a long four years ahead.
Paris Bound 2024
Mona decided to move to the US and study at the University of Tennessee, known for its skilled and experienced swim coaches. It was a big step to leave her country, her family but she was surrounded by like-minded teammates and in fact 19 Olympians attended Paris from her University. The team comprised athletes from all over the world and she will long cherish the memories, support and friends she met along the way.
A Dedicated Support Team is Critical
Every olympian is surrounded by a team of experts. Mona humbly shared her gratitude and that she would not have achieved this level of success without the full support of family, friends and her network of coaches over the many years.
In 2022, she reached a decision point whether she would continue working towards Paris 2024. The fight to get on a podium day in, day out not only requires pool work, time in the gym getting stronger, but the mental fortitude and sheer determination to get in the right frame of mind. Blocking out any doubts, fully committing and believing in yourself requires a different support system and Mona took the steps to get there. She firmly believes that this reset was exactly what she needed and set her up to continue on that daily rigor that took her to Paris and the well deserved bronze medal.
What Did I Learn from Mona?
When charting new territory and scared about the future and what may happen, it’s critical to stay focused on the plan, and take it step by step. You have to write it down and yes, adjust as you go but commitment to the process and journey are what get you through each day.
Lean on your support system. Ask for help. Ask for feedback. Openly communicate and control what is right in front of you. Always believe in yourself and your capabilities.
There’s something different about witnessing perseverance and standing next to Mona who has accomplished her goals on the world’s biggest stage. Mona’s ability to overcome all kinds of hurdles, stay true to her purpose was a lesson I’ll treasure and never forget. Congratulations Mona! I can’t wait to see what’s next for you. Thank you for the lessons.