Ciarán Ó Lionáird represented Ireland in the men’s 1500 metres at the 2012 London Olympic Games, finishing 13th in his heat and failing to advance to the semi-finals after an injury-hampered build-up.

It was a bitterly disappointing outcome for the Macroom, Co. Cork man, who had announced himself on the world stage just a year earlier with a stunning debut at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu – where he reached the 1500m final and finished 10th in the world.

Ó Lionáird grew up near Macroom and took up running aged seven with West Muskerry AC, breaking Irish middle-distance age records at nine and ten. Attending De La Salle College Macroom, he won the Irish Schools 1500m title before winning bronze at the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2005 and finishing 10th at the World Youth Championships in Morocco the same year. He took up a scholarship at the University of Michigan before transferring to Florida State University, coached latterly by Bob Braman.

He turned professional in 2011 and was known as much for his flowing hair as his running – World Athletics featured him under the headline “the Bullet with the Mullet.” He was a member of Leevale AC, coached by Der O’Donovan. Despite bouncing back from London to win bronze in the 3000m at the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships, persistent Achilles problems and two further surgeries ended his career at 28.