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IRELAND’S CIARA MAGEEAN has won gold in the 1500m at the European Championships in Rome tonight.
The Portaferry native ran a race of 4.04.66 to come home in first place, with Georgia Bell (4.05.33) in second and Agathe Guillemot (4.05.69) in third.
She crucially found a gap between the British pair of Bell and Jemma Reekie, and was able to kick for home in the straight.
It was a magnificent success for Mageean which she will cherish after a bronze medal finish in the European Championships in Amsterdam in 2016 and silver in Munich in 2022.
Ireland’s other competitor in the field Sarah Healy, finished seventh in a time of 4.06.77.
Gold 🥇 for Ciara Mageean in the women's 1500m final!!!☘️ #Roma2024
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 9, 2024
📺 Watch on @RTE2 & @RTEplayer pic.twitter.com/u9agcdv6MP
Speaking to RTÉ afterwards, Mageean described what it meant to her to win the medal.
“I want to thank everybody who has helped me get here today to win my first senior gold medal for Ireland,” she said. ” To be at the top of the podium and to hear our National Anthem and to show world athletics that the Irish are here – we are here to show where we belong.”
She paid tribute to her parents. “”Mummy, Daddy, I love you to bits! Thank you for everything. We did it.”
CIARA MAGEEAN HAS DONE IT!!!!!🇮🇪🇮🇪🤩🤩
— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) June 9, 2024
IT'S GOLD FOR IRELAND🥇
⏱️4:04.66#Roma2024 #IrishAthletics @ask123.ie pic.twitter.com/wArsH25Cuv
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Brilliant! Finding that gap was fantastic!
What a battling run, blocked in throughout the race. Well done Ciara fantastic win.
Congratulations, Ciara. Well done on a fantastic race and a powerful finish. You go girl
Congratulations Ciara what a race to win. You did yourself, family and your country proud.
Fantastic!Another Gold for Ireland.Well done.
Olé!Olé!Olé!Olé!
Incredible Ciara
Incredible Irish Team
Well done Ciara, well deserved,fantastic running.
As she said herself, saw a slight gap and went for it. She didn’t grow up playing camogie for nothing!!! What a finish! And don’t forget Sarah Healy! A creditable 7th and a great prospect for the future. #COYGIG!
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: Sarah Healy will learn a lot from that race. Never really got going for her from the start but she is young and with a mentor like Ciara medals are waiting in the future.
@Sal Paradise: t
Brilliant.
Brilliant win for Ireland, well done Ciara
Congratulations to her. Well-deserved.
Fair play Northern Ireland
@eoin fitzpatrick: Fair play Ireland after I took the time on how athletics work on the island. I’ll get my coat…
@eoin fitzpatrick: so her ireland jersey or the crest on it didn’t tell you she was representing Ireland?
@eoin fitzpatrick: Ireland lad.
@eoin fitzpatrick: Such a lame attempt at trying to sound cool eoin. Feel proud of yourself, won’t you.
Fantastic run by Ciara. 2 golds already for Ireland, outstanding achievement for a sport that doesn’t get near enough support and publicity. For example, the Irish Daily Mail (and I use the word Irish very loosely!) has a picture of a British doctor splashed on it’s front page. Why not a picture of Ciara. Is this what the Irish public want from their papers?
She is as strong an ox such power
Well done Ciara !! Fantastic performance and so well deserved……..wasn’t it ironic that it was 2 British athletes that you had to muscle your way past to achieve your goal’d
Great race and brilliant result!
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