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Ciara Mageean in medal contention as UCD runner cruises into 1500m final at European championships

Posted 10 August, 2018

  • UCD graduate Ciara Mageean qualified for the 1500m final with time of 4.09.35, coming second in her heat.
  • The Donegal native is among the top female Irish athletes in the European rankings.
  • She one of only three Irish female track athletes to recieve a European Championship medal, winning bronze in 2016.

Track & field star Ciara Mageean has comfortably qualified for the 1500m final at the European Championships.

Placing second in her heat, the UCD Ad Astra athlete clocked in at 4.09.35 behind Great Britain's Laura Muir – who finished with a time of 4.09.12.

A podium finish at the championships is now on the cards for the 26-year-old from County Down.

The former student of the School of Physiotherapy is likely Ireland’s best chance for a medal at the six-day long competition in Berlin, having previous won bronze at the competition in Amsterdam in 2016.

The Portaferry women is one of only three Irish female athletes, alongside Sonia O'Sullivan and Derval O'Rourke, to have won a European Championship medal, and is confident she can repeat the feat. 

“I don’t come into a championship unless I believe I’m going to go and give 100% and hopefully that will reap the rewards that I want,” Mageean told RTÉ Sport after her heat.

“It’s going to be a tough race out there so hopefully give a good account of myself.”

Mageean runs in the final at 8pm on Sunday. 

Elsewhere Mark English, from the School of Medicine, was eliminated in 800m heats despite a season’s best time of 1.48.98.

A dejected English said after his race that things hadn’t click how he’d wanted them to “but sometimes that’s the way it goes”.

“I wasn’t feeling the best around [the National Championships last month], but niggles are part and parcel for every athlete, you get up and get over them,” he told RTÉ.

“I suppose not being on form can sometimes be a very powerful weapon, but today just got away from me too soon.” 

(opens in a new window)UCD Smurfit School student Claire Mooney and her team were eighth in their semi-final heat in the women’s 400m relay.

By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations

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