IRISH SPORT AND society is in mourning following the death of Ciara Mageean.
The two-time Olympian and European champion died on Sunday at the age of 34, having been diagnosed with bowel cancer last year.
Here is Mageean’s sporting life in pictures.
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Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.
Early days: In action at the 2008 and 2009 European Cross Country Championships
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Helping hand: Coming to the aid of teammate Emma Mitchell after the women’s junior race at the 2010 European Cross Country Championships
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Celebrating 1500m silver after the 2011 European Junior Athletics Championships
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
2011 National Track & Field Championships: Mageean had to settle for 800m silver as she fell at the line, but won 1500m gold
Paul Railton / INPHO
Paul Railton / INPHO
Pictured with Ellis O’Reilly (gymnast), Katie Taylor (boxer) and Chloe Magee (badminton player) at the Irish team kit launch for Rio 2016
James Crombie / INPHO
Major medal alert: Tuning up for Rio with 1500m bronze at the 2016 European Athletics Championships
Karel Delvoije / INPHO
Karel Delvoije / INPHO
Karel Delvoije / INPHO
Olympic debut at Rio 2016. Mageean finished second in her 1500m heat, but didn’t progress from the semi-finals
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO
In the pain cave at the 2016 European Cross Country Championships
Sasa Pahic Szabo / INPHO
Highs and lows at the 2017 European Indoor Championships
Sasa Pahic Szabo / INPHO
Sasa Pahic Szabo / INPHO
Disappointment after a 13th place finish at the 2017 World Outdoor Championships
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Having fun along the way: With Ella O’Sullivan (aged 6 from Malahide) at Ireland’s first Family SportFest in 2017
Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO
All smiles after finishing second in her 1500m heat at the 2018 European Championships, before an agonising fourth-place finish in the final
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Celebrating breaking the Irish indoor 1500m record at the AIT International Athletics Grand Prix – one of many records across her career
James Crombie / INPHO
Bronze Age: Medal delight at the 2019 European Indoor Championships
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Highs and lows: In action at the 2019 World Championships
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Two greats: With Sonia O’Sullivan at the 2019 Irish Athletics Awards
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Team success at the 2019 European Cross Country Championships
Billy Stickland / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Meeting fans at the 2020 Athlone International Athletics Grand Prix – after recovering from a draining run
Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Olympics number two: Tokyo 2020
James Crombie / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO
Silver lining: 1500m silver at the 2022 European Championships
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Accepting the Spirit of Camogie Award at the 2022 All-Stars
Ryan Bryne / INPHO
Ups and downs at the 2023 World Championships in Doha
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
GOLD! Winning 1500m gold at the 2024 European Championships
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
That golden moment – which completed the set of European medals – was ultimately Mageean’s last major race for Ireland after an Achilles injury ruled her out of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
The Portaferry athlete announced her cancer diagnosis in June 2025.
Athletics Ireland celebrated Mageean at the national championships in Santry in July, with a ‘Run with Ciara’ event. Mageean typically comforted a young athlete who fell during it, and enjoyed the day with her family and friends.
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Ciara Mageean: A sporting life in pictures
IRISH SPORT AND society is in mourning following the death of Ciara Mageean.
The two-time Olympian and European champion died on Sunday at the age of 34, having been diagnosed with bowel cancer last year.
Here is Mageean’s sporting life in pictures.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.
Early days: In action at the 2008 and 2009 European Cross Country Championships
Helping hand: Coming to the aid of teammate Emma Mitchell after the women’s junior race at the 2010 European Cross Country Championships
Celebrating 1500m silver after the 2011 European Junior Athletics Championships
2011 National Track & Field Championships: Mageean had to settle for 800m silver as she fell at the line, but won 1500m gold
Pictured with Ellis O’Reilly (gymnast), Katie Taylor (boxer) and Chloe Magee (badminton player) at the Irish team kit launch for Rio 2016
Major medal alert: Tuning up for Rio with 1500m bronze at the 2016 European Athletics Championships
Olympic debut at Rio 2016. Mageean finished second in her 1500m heat, but didn’t progress from the semi-finals
In the pain cave at the 2016 European Cross Country Championships
Highs and lows at the 2017 European Indoor Championships
Disappointment after a 13th place finish at the 2017 World Outdoor Championships
Having fun along the way: With Ella O’Sullivan (aged 6 from Malahide) at Ireland’s first Family SportFest in 2017
All smiles after finishing second in her 1500m heat at the 2018 European Championships, before an agonising fourth-place finish in the final
Celebrating breaking the Irish indoor 1500m record at the AIT International Athletics Grand Prix – one of many records across her career
Bronze Age: Medal delight at the 2019 European Indoor Championships
Highs and lows: In action at the 2019 World Championships
Two greats: With Sonia O’Sullivan at the 2019 Irish Athletics Awards
Team success at the 2019 European Cross Country Championships
Meeting fans at the 2020 Athlone International Athletics Grand Prix – after recovering from a draining run
Olympics number two: Tokyo 2020
Silver lining: 1500m silver at the 2022 European Championships
Accepting the Spirit of Camogie Award at the 2022 All-Stars
Ups and downs at the 2023 World Championships in Doha
GOLD! Winning 1500m gold at the 2024 European Championships
That golden moment – which completed the set of European medals – was ultimately Mageean’s last major race for Ireland after an Achilles injury ruled her out of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
The Portaferry athlete announced her cancer diagnosis in June 2025.
Athletics Ireland celebrated Mageean at the national championships in Santry in July, with a ‘Run with Ciara’ event. Mageean typically comforted a young athlete who fell during it, and enjoyed the day with her family and friends.
Athletics Ciara Mageean Legend RIP Other Sports