Mona McSharry became only the second Irish swimmer to win an Olympic medal when she earned women’s 100m breaststroke bronze at the Paris 2024 Games.

“I started crying on the podium and I haven’t really fully stopped crying yet,” she said at the time. “It’s just unbelievable. I think it’s just the pinnacle of sport to have all your hard work pay off in something like this at this moment.”

The 25-year-old from County Sligo – who was a winner in 2019 of the RTE reality TV show Ireland’s Fittest Family – briefly contemplated retirement after her Paris achievement, which followed medal wins at the world and European short course championships.

But she will return to Paris next month seeking a first long course European medal…

How often do you think about your winning Olympic bronze in Paris two years ago? Every day?

Honestly, I don’t think about it that often. When it does cross my mind it almost feels like a fever dream and I can’t believe that it happened and it also feels like it was so long ago even though it was only two years ago.

I think I am constantly focusing on what’s next and how I can get better and that is why I don’t think about the medal that much.

What do you remember of the Olympic atmosphere and the city? Did it feel different to other competitions?

I thought the atmosphere was electric and it was definitely the loudest crowd I have ever competed with.

It was also very special knowing I had a lot of family, friends and Irish people in the stands and I remember when I stood on the podium and looked out into the crowd I could see a lot of Irish flags.

The city was great and I will always hold fond memories of Paris because of the Olympics.

You hinted after Games that you might retire. How serious were you, and what changed your mind?

I was fully confident that I would be retiring after the Paris Olympics.

I had always planned that 2024 was going to be my big year and it definitely was a very successful one, so I felt that I could happily step away and move onto the new chapter.

 I had committed to one more year of college racing for Tennessee after the Olympics so I decided to do one more year and retire in the summer of .

But when I came back I realised I still loved the training and so I realised I might not be ready to retire yet.

How different as an athlete and a person do you think you are heading into Paris 2026 compared to Paris 2024?

I think I am different and the same all in one. I am still the same dedicated committed athlete that I was in 2024 but I am also more mature and more relaxed.

I have chosen to continue swimming and I want to make sure I am enjoying it rather than stressing about performance. That may be the biggest difference but overall I am the same.

How excited are you about the prospect of winning your first European long course medal in Paris this summer?

This is a very exciting thought and as I said I have very fond memories from Paris and would love to add to those.

How significant will the Paris 2026 Championships be for you in terms of a marker on the route to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics?

 This will be a really good point to see where I am in my training. It is crazy to think that we are approaching two years out from the next Olympics.

The plan is to be continuously building to perform in LA and so it will be good to see where I am at and be able to reassess for the future.

Were any members of Ireland’s Fittest Family there to see you at the Olympics – and will they be back in Paris this summer?

All the members were there in Paris which was amazing and I also had many, many more people there to support me!

It truly felt as though the whole of Ireland was in Paris supporting and that was an amazing feeling.

Getting to watch my family enjoy the Games from a different perspective was really enjoyable. They will be returning this year to Paris to watch Europeans which is also great.

Did you have much chance to experience Paris as a city in 2024? Any particular places/scenes that resonated strongly? What will be on your city wishlist this summer?

We had a little time to explore and spend a lot of it going to other events which was really fun.

We went to the beach volleyball arena which was right next to the Eiffel Tower and that was really great to see. We also had some delicious food and did a little shopping.

I haven’t thought much about what is on my list but I would love to go to the Louvre again as I have not been there since I was nine. If I do that I will certainly have to check out the Mona Lisa!

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics