McSharry makes three finals at World Aquatics Championships

Gardaí are continuing to appeal for information over last week's aggravated burglary in Swinford.

The stolen car was later discovered in the Coolaney area of Sligo.

The burglary happened at a property in Kilasser on last week on the evening of February 12, with the homeowner threatened with a knife.

A number of items were stolen from the house and the suspects fled the scene in the homeowner’s vehicle. The stolen vehicle was recovered later that evening in Coolaney, County Sligo.

Anyone with information in relation to this incident is asked to contact Ballina Garda Station.

Any road users who were travelling in the vicinity of Killasser, Aclare, Tubbercurry, Coolaney and surrounding areas on the evening of February 12 between 6pm and 8.30pm and who may have camera footage (including dash cam) is asked to make this available to investigating Gardaí.

SLIGO swimmer Mona McSharry completed a remarkable week at the World Aquatics Championships with two fifth place finishes in the 100m and 200m breaststroke finals and an eighth place finish in the 50m breaststroke finals.

The Grange woman has secured her place in this year’s Olympic Games in Paris for the 100m but narrowly missed out on qualifying time for the 200m in Doha.

However, her performances in Doha, and more so her reaction, in particular to her 100m final finish, suggest there is much more to come from the Tennessee University Scholarship student.

In Sunday’s 50m breaststroke final on Sunday last McSharry finished in 30.96 seconds to close out an eventful week for the Marlins Swimming Club graduate. Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania, the world record holder, won gold in 29.40 seconds, followed by Chinese teenager Qianting Tang (29.51) and Italy's Benedetta Pilato (30.01).

“One length, just splash and dash,” was how she described the 50m event after a fifth-place finish in Friday's 200m final – one of the fastest 200m breaststroke races of all time.

McSharry had been aiming for an Olympic qualifying time in the 200m, but the 2:23.91 time needed eluded her.

In Friday's final, McSharry finished in 2:24.89 with the 2:19.81 set by the impressive victor, Tes Schouten seeing the Dutchwoman go eighth in the alltime list.

At the end of March, McSharry will go again at the Ramsey Centre at University of Georgia in the NCAA Championships.

McSharry has already booked a place on the 100m breaststroke list for the Olympics At the last Olympiad in Tokyo, she was fifth in her favoured event.

Last Tuesday in Doha, McSharry clocked 1:06.42 in the 100m final, just half-a-second from a podium place with Tang's 1:05.27 sealing gold, followed by Schouten (1:05.82) and Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey, a grandniece of former Taoiseach Charles Haughey, who finished in 1:05.92.