Grit and glory – Mageean’s career in pictures

Ciara Mageean, the Irish middle-distance runner and European champion, has died aged 34. Her career included major setbacks and a landmark 1500m gold at the 2024 European Championships, while her courage after a stage four bowel cancer diagnosis in 2025 drew widespread admiration.

Mageean won junior medals before taking European 1500m bronze in 2016 and silver in 2022, then gold in 2024 in 4:04.66. She also set Irish records in the 800m, 1,000m, indoor and outdoor 1500m, and the mile; at a 2022 Diamond League meeting in Brussels, she ran 3:56.63 for the 1500m, breaking Sonia O'Sullivan’s record by 3.6 seconds.