Ciara Mageean has firmly established herself as Ireland’s top women’s middle-distance athlete. With a string of national titles and Irish records to her name, including the outdoor 800m and 1500m, Mageean is a dominant force in the sport. As she gears up for her third Olympic Games, her recent gold medal at the European Athletics Championships in Rome has distinguished her as a standout middle distance star of Irish athletics.
Early Days & Junior Stardom
Hailing from Portaferry, County Down, Ciara Mageean’s athletic journey began in primary school, despite her family’s camogie tradition. Encouraged by her PE teacher, she joined the cross-country team at 13, even winning a race in football boots. She was first coached by Eamonn Christie (of the Belfast Milers fame), and she soon transitioned away from camogie to focusing solely on athletics.
Mageean’s junior career took off rapidly. In 2008, she won bronze in the 800m at the Commonwealth Youth Games. The following year, she clinched silver in the 800m at the World Youth Championships in Italy and gold in the 1500m at the European Youth Olympics in Finland. This followed in 2010 with a silver medal in the 1500m at the World Junior Championships, and in 2011, a silver in the 1500m at the European Junior Championships. It was in 2011 that she also won her first Irish senior national title in the same event. That year, Ciara commenced her physiotherapy degree at UCD as an ad astra student, a scholarship programme famed for spotting top sporting or academic talent.
However, an ankle injury struck in 2012 after a hectic qualifying effort for the London Olympics, requiring surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation. During this period, the late Jerry Kiernan became her coach, and his influence proved crucial in her recovery and future success.
Bouncing Back & Olympic Pursuits
Mageean made a stellar comeback in 2014, winning her second national 1500m title after a two-year layoff. The 2015 season was again stalled by injury, though she still won her first 800m national title in the summer. In 2016, Ciara hit her stride, winning the Irish Indoor 800m and the outdoor 1500m title. Her first European Athletics Championships medal came in the form of a bronze in the 1500m, earning her a spot in the Rio Olympics.
Mageean started off her campaign well at the Rio Games with a solid second-place finish in the opening heat of the 1500m. However, she did not advance from the semi-finals after finishing 11th.
From 2017 to 2019, Mageean secured three consecutive 800m national titles and earned a commendable 4th place at the European Athletics Championships in Munich in 2018. The 2020 season was disrupted by COVID-19 and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, and though she qualified for the 1500m, she didn’t progress past the heats.
Record-Breaking & European Glory
In 2022, after missing the Nationals due to COVID-19, Mageean chose to skip the World Athletics Championships for a full recovery. The year turned out to be spectacular for her internationally. She won silver in the 1500m at both the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the European Athletics Championships in Munich. A month later, in a remarkable performance at a Diamond League meet in Brussels, Mageean shattered Sonia O’Sullivan’s longstanding 1500m Irish national record with a time of 3:56.63.
More records followed in 2023. She reclaimed the 800m Irish record in Manchester, set a new mile record in Monaco, and broke her own 1500m record twice. At the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, she finished 4th with a time of 3:56.61, securing her place at the Paris 2024 Olympics. She later improved this record to 3:55.87 in Brussels.
The pinnacle of her career so far came on June 9th, 2024, at the European Athletics Championships in Rome. Mageean, claimed gold in the 1500m, becoming the first Irish athlete to win an individual event at the Euros since Sonia O’Sullivan. Mageean ran a patient race, maintaining a prominent position throughout. In the final stretch, she brushed past Britain’s Jemma Reekie and Georgia Bell, powering to the finish line to claim the gold.
In a post-race interview with RTÉ did not hide her jubilation: 'Words can’t even describe, everybody at home knows how long I've been doing this and how hard I've been trying. I've had so many times whenever I come off here and I've not quite felt the way I am today.'"
Since Rome, Ciara has competed just twice at Diamond League events, focusing on preparations for Paris.
Conclusion
Ciara Mageean’s story is one of sheer grit and determination. From winning a cross country race in football boots to smashing national records, Mageean has carved out a remarkable career as an Irish middle distance athlete. Her journey has included both triumphs and setbacks, such as career-threatening injuries, but she has consistently demonstrated a remarkable ability to rebound.
The highlight of her career so far came in Rome, where she seized gold in the 1500m at the European Athletics Championships ending a 26 year individual medal drought for Ireland. Now, with her sights set on Paris 2024, Ciara Mageean is primed to add another chapter to her story.
We wish her every success.
Image: Perri Williams