Ciara Mageean clinched the gold medal in the 1500m final at the European Athletics Championships in Rome on Sunday, June 9th.
The athlete from Portaferry made a decisive move between the British athletes Jemma Reekie and Georgia Bell in the final 100 meters, accelerating to victory with a time of 4:04.66.
She found a gap…and she went for it! 🌪
Ciara Mageean 🇮🇪 storms to 1500m gold for Ireland in #Roma2024! 🔥#IgniteTheFire
(@irishathletics | @TeamIreland) pic.twitter.com/sKf4f0IyQf
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) June 9, 2024
This marks Mageean’s third European outdoor medal, following her bronze in Amsterdam in 2016 and silver in Munich in 2022.
“Words can’t even come close,” Mageean expressed to RTÉ Sport after the race. “Everybody back home knows how long I have been doing this, how hard I have been trying. I’ve had so many times when I’ve come off races and not felt the way I am today. I went out on that track today super nervous, but I had a plan and a mission, that was to hear Amhrán na bhFiann.”
Sarah Healy also participated in the race, finishing a commendable seventh in her first senior European final with a time of 4:06.77, providing her with confidence as she looks ahead to Paris.
There was more success for Ireland earlier in the competition as both Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley secured spots in the 400m final.
Adeleke breezed through to the final with a time of 50.54Q, the fastest among all qualifiers, while Mawdsley finished in second place with a time of 50.99Q.
Sophie Becker narrowly missed out on qualifying, finishing fourth in her heat with a time of 51.54, but the trio of Irish athletes finishing in the top 10 was a notable achievement.
Results Summary:
Rhasidat Adeleke – Women’s 400m – 1st in Semi Final in 50.54Q
Sharlene Mawdsley – Women’s 400m – 2nd in Semi Final in 50.99Q
Sophie Becker – Women’s 400m – 4th in Semi Final in 51.54
Ciara Mageean – Women’s 1500m – 1st in 4:04.66
Sarah Healy – Women’s 1500m – 7th in 4:06.77
