European Championships: McSharry wins second bronze; Healy fifth in 1,500m final - as it happened
The Irish Times · Muireann Duffy; David Gorman · 2026-08-16T21:46:29+00:00 · nguồn gốc
European Aquatics Championships:
Men’s 50m freestyle final: Tom Fannon (6th)
Women’s 50m breaststroke final: Mona McSharry (3rd)
Women’s 200m butterfly final: Ellen Walshe (4th)
Women’s 4x100m medley relay final (6th)
European Athletics Championships:
Women’s 1,500m final: Sarah Healy (5th) Sophie O’Sullivan (8th)
[ Sarah Healy frustrated despite ‘decent’ fifth in European 1,500m finalOpens in new window ]
A great European swimming and athletics championships, thanks to all for tuning in during the week. That’s all from me, good night!
Michael Scully reports on the European Aquatics Championships and a memorable week for Ireland:
Mona McSharry and Ellen Walshe hung their four European Aquatics Championship medals on the wall of their hotel room in Paris on Sunday.
As they closed their bedroom door to leave for the final session at the Olympic Aquatic Centre, the medals provided the perfect visual reminder: it had been a long, successful week, but there were more medals there to be won.
A few hours later, McSharry delivered Ireland’s fifth podium placing of the week. Then Walshe just missed out on a sixth.
[ ‘A special week’: Mona McSharry and Ellen Walshe celebrate Paris medal haulOpens in new window ]
Oh well, no medal there for the Irish, wasn’t to be. O’Sullivan just didn’t quite have it today, while Healy could not get a clean run at it until the end, just couldn’t get in the right position. Hunter Bell was a dominant winner.
Healy finishes fifth, O’Sullivan finishes eighth
Healy has ended up on the inside slightly trapped. O’Sullivan a bit back as Hunter Bell goes and Healy unfortunately gets stuck. Hunter Bell wins by a long distance.
Hunter Bell runs 4:07.78, Healy runs 4:10.76. O’Sullivan runs 4:11.72.
Kazimierska second, Silva third.
Afonso leads with Hunter Bell in a confident position. The entire field is more or less together with one lap to go, all to play for!
After the first lap, it’s a jostling for position, O’Sullivan on the inside, Healy on the outside but a cramped group. Not the fastest pace.
Here is the start list for the 1,500m final. Two Irish women in it, Georgia Hunter Bell the favourite, but the Irish are in with a shout.
- Patricia Silva
- Sarah Healy
- Agathe Guillemot
- Weronika Lizakowska
- Sophie O’Sullivan
- Georgia Hunter Bell
- Augustine Haquet
- Klaudia Kazimierska
- Salomé Afonso
- Ludovica Cavalli
- Adele Gay
- Kristiina Sasínek Maki
Hi there, David Gorman taking over for the evening’s athletics. The main event will be the 1,500 metres with Sarah Healy and Sophie O’Sullivan going for one more medal for Ireland in what has been a brilliant European Athletics Championships so far. Ian O’Riordan writes that Sarah Healy seeks redemption after her fourth-place finish in the 5,000m. Back in her specialist event.
“I’m very happy to have another go at it,” Healy said. “I knew it was a gamble doing this [the 5,000m], it’s not ideal preparation, but I don’t think it’s going to have taken a lot out of my legs.”
What a week for the Irish swimmers in Paris.
They finish up with five medals, three coming from Mona McSharry and two from Ellen Walshe.
But it was all huge performance all round, filled with finals, personal bests, national records, and a few medals for good measure. An absolute joy to watch.
That’s it from me for the evening, thanks for following along. David Gorman is going to take over for the athletics, with Sarah Healy and Sophie O’Sullivan running in the final of the women’s 1,500m at 9.13pm.
And Michael Scully will have reaction from Paris shortly, so stick around for that.
France up to second, the crowd is going to erupt.
Neutral team lead down the final length.
Italy surge back late to snatch second from France.
It finishes up:
- Neutral Team B
- Italy
- France
- Britain
- Germany
- Spain
- Denmark
- Switzerland
Italy in front at the halfway point. Britain alongside the neutral team battling for second.
Léon Marchand pulls France up to fourth.
Kliment Kolesnikov sets the neutral team off in world-record pace. They lead Italy after the first 100m.
Adam Ramsay-Peaty in the pool for Britain on the breaststroke leg. He’s had a bit of a ‘mare this week but he’s doing mighty work here.
That brings the curtain down on Ireland’s involvement at the European Aquatics Championships, but since we’re here, we’ll stick with the men’s 4x100 medley relay.
The neutral athlete team from Russia were the fastest qualifiers, so go in lane four. Britain are in the other speed lane on their right but may struggle here.
Italy lead Britain down the final length, the neutral team in third. They stay in that order to the wall.
Davison touches the wall for Ireland in sixth in a new national record of 3:57.26.
Brilliant breaststroke leg from Mona McSharry. Ellen Walshe enters in fourth for the butterfly 100.
Walshe digs deep, she must be exhausted, she holds fifth for Grace Davison to take it home with the freestyle leg.
McSharry takes over from Cullen in seventh. Italy still with the lead.
McSharry moves Ireland up to fifth at the turn on to the 200.
The swimmers are in the water for the backstroke start.
And they’re off.
Italy lead at the 50-meter mark. Cullen turns in eighth for Ireland.
A reminder, the Irish order is:
- Lottie Cullen (backstroke)
- Mona McSharry (breaststroke)
- Ellen Walshe (butterfly)
- Grace Davison (freestyle)
Ireland go in lane one.
Back to Paris for the women’s 4x100m medley relay now.
The teams have just been introduced so we’ll be under way shortly.
A quick trip back to Birmingham where Andrew Coscoran is receiving his bronze medal from the men’s 1,500m.
The Irish crowd from Kate O’Connor’s ceremony is certainly still there, the Dubliner gets a deafening cheer when he steps up on the podium.
Sweden’s Samuel Pihlstrom receives the silver medal and Stefan Nillessen from the Netherlands gets his gold.
A little chuckle from Coscoran as olés break out again from the crowd when the three medallists cosy up on the top step for a photo. I’m sure Pihlstrom and Nillessen appreciate the Irish atmosphere, they’re in great form.
And here’s Ellen Walshe after she finished fourth in the women’s 200m breaststroke final, narrowly missing out on her third medal of the championships.
She too will be back shortly in the women’s 4x100m medley relay.
Here’s what Mona McSharry had to say after earning bronze in the 50m breaststroke:
She’ll be back shortly as part of Ireland’s 4x100m medley relay team shortly.
Léon Marchand has just been introduced from the call room for the men’s 400m freestyle final to an almighty roar.
The French 24-year-old is the darling of the home crowd, a five-time Olympic medallist at the 2024 Paris Games (four of which were gold). Anywhere Marchand has cropped up this week, the crowd has gone berserk.
And with good reason, he’s just after winning gold in that 400m freestyle. Hungary’s Oliver Papai comes through for silver, while the world-record holder, Lukas Martens of Germany, takes bronze.
Ireland’s quartet for the women’s 4x100m medley relay will be Lottie Cullen (backstroke), Mona McSharry (breaststroke), Ellen Walshe (butterfly) and Grace Davison (freestyle), Walshe and McSharry doubling up this evening after their individual efforts.
That’s on the agenda for 7.02pm.
Since we have a little time to spare, Ian O’Riordan has a wrap of this morning’s athletics:
Hopes that Irish athletes might make an impression on the European Championships marathon slowly faded around the streets of Birmingham on Sunday morning, Paul O’Donnell the sole finisher with his 43rd in the men’s race, clocking 2:20:41.
Fionnuala McCormack had started the women’s race with medal aspirations after finishing ninth in the marathon at the World Championships last September. Running cautiously early on, passing the 10km in 24th, the Wicklow woman was forced to drop out shortly afterwards due to feeling unwell.
The gold medal went to Finland’s Alisa Vainio, who smashed the championship record with her front-running victory in 2:22:26.
Waterford’s David McGlynn made it to the 25km mark in the men’s race before also retiring, while Cork’s Ryan Creech withdrew before the start with a “minor medical issue”, according to Athletics Ireland.
The men’s European title went to Amanal Petros of Germany, who finished in a championship record of 2:09.11.
Kate O’Connor, our European Heptathlon Champion.
The 25-year-old wells up a bit as the anthem draws to an end. Lovely to see such a strong Irish crowd there to mark the moment.
These medals are coming rapid. Back in Paris, Mona McSharry is picking up her bronze medal from the women’s 50m breaststroke.
The stage for the medal ceremonies is outside the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham and a huge Irish crowd has gathered to celebrate the Dundalk woman.
Olés all round and Kate is beaming as ever as Amhrán na bhFiann plays out in Birmingham.
A brief break from the action in the pool, we’ve the final of the women’s 4x100m medley relay still to come, but it’s time for one Kate O’Connor to pick up her gold medal.
The ceremonies were postponed last night, so both O’Connor and Andrew Coscoran will officially get their medals now.
MacInnes still with the lead on the final turn. Walshe turns in sixth and starts to push for home.
Walshe battles hard but can only manage fourth. Another powerful final length, but not enough on this occasion.
Away they go. Britain’s Kate MacInnes with the early lead, Walshe in the midfield.
Walsh turns in seventh with 100m to go.
Ellen Walshe goes in lane two, she gets a nice cheer from the ground when she’s introduced from the call room.
Four lengths of the pool. Let’s see what Walshe has left in her after a golden week.
Hungary’s Hubert Kos sets a championship record to take gold in the men’s 200m individual medley final ahead of Spain’s Hugo Gonzalez de Oliverira and neutral athlete Mikhail Shcherbakov, who sets a world junior record for bronze.
Now we’re on to the women’s 200m butterfly final, Ellen Walshe in action here.
What a finish from McSharry. A third medal at these championships; two bronze and a silver.
Confirmation of the medals in the women’s 50m breaststroke:
- Ruta Meilutyte (Lithuania) – 29.93
- Benedetta Pilato (Italy) – 29.94
- Mona McSharry (Ireland) – 29.95
They’re on the blocks and they’re off.
Great dive from McSharry, she’s in contention at the 25-meter mark.
BRONZE FOR MCSHARRY!
Straight on to the women’s 50m breaststroke final. Mona McSharry’s in lane one.
Does she have another medal in her..
Amazing close to the race for Fannon, he was the fastest finisher of the lot.
Confirmation of the medals:
- Nikita Sheremet (Ukraine) – 21.13
- Egor Kornev (NAB); Andrej Barna (Serbia) – both 21.37
And they’re off.
Fannon surfaces a bit early but goes hard to the finish.
Sheremet powers home for gold.
Tom Fannon finishes sixth for Ireland.
Nikkita Sheremet from Ukraine was the fastest qualifier for the 50m final, he goes in lane four, his compatriot Vkadslav Bukhov on his should in lane three.
Russian swimmer Egor Kornev, competing as a neutral athlete here, is another one to watch in lane five.
The eight finalists are just being introduced to the crowd in Paris.
Fannon’s event, the men’s 50m freestyle, is referred to as the ‘splash and dash’.
It’s the swimming equivalent of the 100m sprint on the track, with the winner considered the fastest swimmer on earth. Just one length of the pool with no time to make up ground, their dive has to be perfect, and the aim is to complete the full 50 meters flat out without taking a breath.
Australia’s Cameron McEvoy is the current world-record holder with his 20.88-second time set last year.
For anyone who missed this morning’s action, Michael Scully has a wrap of the results here:
[ European Aquatics Championships: Sunday morning session reportOpens in new window ]
Tom Fannon is up first in the men’s 50m freestyle final, which is due off at 5.30pm.
The 28-year-old qualified sixth-fastest overall from this morning’s semi-finals, putting him in lane seven for the final.
And so we go again. Good evening everyone, and welcome along to our last live blog of the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham and the European Aquatics Championships in Paris.
Both meets wrap up tonight after a stellar week for Irish athletes. We’ll be taking you through the evening’s action in the pool and on the track, with some reaction to follow later from Ian O’Riordan and Michael Scully.
Five Irish athletes are due to compete in individual events across the two championships later, and the Irish women’s 4x100m medley relay team will round out our involvement in Paris before we switch focus to Birmingham.
Just because we like looking at it, here are the combined Irish medals from both meets so far:
Ireland medal count (athletics & swimming)
Gold x4: Ellen Walshe (Women’s 400m individual medley, Women’s 200m individual medley); Kate O’Connor (Women’s heptathlon); Mark English (Men’s 800m)
Silver x2: Mona McSharry (Women’s 100m breaststroke); Rhasidat Adeleke (Women’s 200m)
Bronze x2: Mona McSharry (Women’s 200m breaststroke); Andrew Coscoran (Men’s 1,500m)