Competing in her second Olympic final, McSharry produced a sensational finish in the final of the women's 100m breaststroke to pip Italy's Benedetta Pilato and world record holder and 2016 champion Lilly King of the United States both by 0.01 of a second to take third in a time of 1:05.59.
Speaking after the race, former Olympian Earl McCarthy said the composure shown by the Irish swimmer in such a high-quality field was hugely impressive.
"She didn’t panic," he told viewers. "I liked that first 25 metres, she’s not the leader.
"It was a very aggressive first 25 metres and you think, 'will she drop the ball here?’ but she knew what she was doing and kept her reserve for the last six or seven metres."
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Fellow analyst Andrew Bree, a two-time Olympian, said: "It’s inspiring. It’s a testament to every day, every moment of her training. It’s written in the stars."
A couple of years ago, not long after taking bronze in the World Short Course Championships, the University of Tennessee graduate revealed that she had been seriously struggling with being away from home and her family and had considered walking away from the sport.
"I remember waking up and I was really upset, crying, I didn’t know why I was crying," she said at the time.
"I was really unhappy. I called my friends from home, I was talking to them anyway, we talked through it and they helped me realise what was going on and I didn’t realise it stemmed from swimming."
London 2012 Olympian Grainne Murphy said the magical night in Paris demonstrates the mental strength of the 23-year-old.
"The power of that, to turn it around to come back stronger and better than ever, and that’s what she did," she said.
"She was cool, calm and collected. She executed brilliantly."
McCarthy added that the mental fortitude displayed by McSharry is what separates the good from the great, the ability to respond to serious setbacks and come back strong.
Speaking about that difficult period in McSharry’s career, he added: "You’re on the edge because you pushed yourself to the edge. Sometimes you go over it, but only those people go to the edge. The other people don’t, the people who want to play it safe will never, ever know what it is like to be at the edge, or fall off the edge.
"And have to be picked back up by a team-mate, by parents, by a coach."
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