European athletics champion Ciara Mageean dies aged 34

Irish middle-distance runner Ciara Mageean, a European 1,500m champion and two-time Olympian, has died aged 34, according to a statement posted on her social media.

The statement said Mageean died at 6.30am on Sunday, surrounded by loved ones, after being diagnosed with cancer. She had revealed her diagnosis in July last year.

Athletics Ireland said it was “heartbroken” and described Mageean as an inspiration, praising her courage, kindness and spirit.

From Portaferry in Northern Ireland, Mageean represented Ireland at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. She won European Championship bronze in 2016 and claimed silver at the 2022 European and Commonwealth Games.

Her biggest title came in Rome in 2024, when she won the European 1,500m final in 4:04.66. She was forced to withdraw from the Paris Olympics that year because of an Achilles injury.

Mageean also won a 1,500m Diamond League race in Brussels in 2022, setting an Irish record of 3:56.63, and finished fourth in the 2023 World Championships final. Earlier this month, she married her long-term partner, Thomas Moran, in Belfast.