Mona McSharry Wins 100m Breaststroke Gold at World Aquatics World Cup
As reported by rte.ie, Mona McSharry picked up her inaugural gold of the 2026 World Aquatics World Cup circuit by winning the 100m breaststroke final in Baku, Azerbaijan, with a time of 1:04.21.
McSharry Wins World Cup Gold in Baku
Heading into the final after topping the morning heats in 1:04.94, McSharry went quicker to become the only swimmer under 65 seconds in the event, claiming just the second World Cup gold medal of her career. According to rte.ie, her prior World Cup victory happened in the 50m breaststroke during the Westmont leg of the 2025 series. South Africa’s Aimee Canny took silver in 1:05.21, while Russia’s Evgeniia Chikunova claimed bronze in 1:05.64.
Opening Leg Silver Medals in Azerbaijan
The victory built on an opening day where McSharry and fellow Irish swimmer Ellen Walshe both secured silver medals, according to reporting from BBC and Donegal Daily. Olympic bronze medallist McSharry finished second in the 200m breaststroke final in 2:18.45, just 0.18 seconds outside the Irish record she set at the 2025 World Cup. Russia’s Evgeniia Chikunova took gold in that event in 2:17.20, with Vitalina Simonova securing bronze in 2:21.21. Dublin’s Walshe also opened her campaign with a runner-up finish, clocking 2:05.58 in the 200m butterfly to take silver behind China’s Chang Mohan, who claimed gold in 2:04.15, while Xinyang Zhou claimed bronze in 2:05.65.
Walshe Ranks Fifth in 400m Individual Medley
Following her silver medal earlier in the week, Walshe returned to action in the 400m individual medley, narrowing missing a second medal of the meet by finishing fifth in 4:29.13, rte.ie noted. China’s Yiting Yu claimed gold in 4:24.09, and Great Britain’s Abbie Wood took silver in 4:27.95. The battle for bronze saw China’s Mohan Chang secure third place in 4:28.76, one-hundredth of a second ahead of Japan’s Waka Kobori at 4:28.77.
October World Cup Schedule Continues
McSharry and Walshe will compete in three World Cup events across October, moving from Baku, Azerbaijan, which runs from October 1 to 3, to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from October 8 to 10, and concluding in Astana, Kazakhstan, from October 15 to 17, according to rte.ie and Donegal Daily.
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