Ciara Mageean was one of Ireland’s greatest ever middle-distance runners, a European 1500 metres champion and the holder of Irish records from the 800 metres to the mile.
Mageean competed at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, finishing 11th in her 1500 metres semi-final in Rio and 10th in her heat in Tokyo. She travelled to Paris 2024 as part of Team Ireland, however an achilles injury meant she did not get to compete in what would have been her third Olympic Games.
Mageean was the 2024 European 1500 metres champion, adding to European silver in 2022, European bronze in 2016, European indoor bronze in 2019, and World and European Junior silver medals in 2010 and 2011. In 2020 she became the first Irish woman to run under two minutes for 800 metres, and her Irish 1500 metres record of 3:55.87 stands alongside her Irish mile record, which broke Sonia O’Sullivan’s long-standing mark at the Monaco Diamond League in 2023 and placed her mile best of 4:14.58 among the fastest by any woman in history.
She was coached by fellow Olympian Jerry Kiernan. From Portaferry, County Down, she was a member of City of Lisburn AC.
Ciara Mageean passed away from cancer at the age of just 34 on November 1st 2026.
Athletics
