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Grit and glory – Mageean's career in pictures

Grit and glory – Mageean's career in pictures

Tributes have been pouring in for European champion and Olympian Ciara Mageean, who passed away on Sunday aged 34.

On the track, she represented Ireland and Northern Ireland with great distinction and she became European 1500m champion in 2024.

Mageean was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in May 2025, but continued to be a shining light with her courage.

From her grit and determination to her medal moments, BBC Sport looks back at Mageean's career in pictures.

Gifted athlete whose wit and smile left lasting impression – Mageean obituary

Tributes to 'inspirational' Olympian Ciara Mageean after death at 34

She was third for Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Youth Games in India in 2008, and the following year she won the European Youth Olympic Festival in Finland and was second at the World Youth Championships for Ireland.

Mageean announced herself to senior athletics at the Odyssey Arena by winning the National Senior Indoor title when she was just 15.

The Portaferry runner bounced back to win the Irish 1500m title in 2014 and things were even better at the European Championships in 2016, when she won a 1500m bronze medal in Amsterdam.

The following year, she split with long-time coach Jerry Kiernan to work with Steve Vernon in Manchester.

Here, her all-or-nothing approach was on show was she emptied the tank at the 2016 European Championships in Italy.

Now, she is the Irish record holder in the 800m, 1,000m, both the indoor and outdoor 1500m and the mile.

She injured her calf in the build-up to the Games, and failed to qualify from her heat.

She finished second behind Muir, who won gold for Scotland, in what was a long-running rivalry that year.

Muir again won gold, but Mageean won a silver medal to add to her bronze from 2016.

Not only did she win the race, but her time of 3:56.63 took 3.6 seconds off Sonia O'Sullivan's Irish 1500m record with represented her first sub-four minute run.

A World Championship medal evaded Mageean in her career, but she did finish fourth in the 2023 final in Budapest as Kenya's Faith Kipyegon won gold.

She was boxed in on the final lap behind GB's Georgia Bell and Jemma Reekie, but burst through a gap to win in a time of 4:04.66.

The elation on her face as she crossed the line said everything as she picked up the biggest win of her career.

But just like in her running career, she showed remarkable courage in the face of adversity.

Here, she is presented to the crowd at half-time of the All-Ireland Hurling Final at Croke Park in July.

At the Irish National Championships in July, 400 young athletes from clubs around Ireland joined Mageean in a 'Run with Ciara' celebration in Dublin.

Her smile and enthusiasm will leave a lasting memory.

Fox Style News Syndicate. Sourced from broadcast reporting: Read Full Source Coverage.