Ciara Mageean remembered as inspirational Olympic athlete as tributes follow death at 34

A celebrated running career

Mageean won European gold in Rome in 2024 and represented Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games, taking silver in Birmingham in 2022. She was a two-time Olympic runner and a former European champion.

In 2023, she was named BBC Northern Ireland Sports Personality of the Year. That year, she broke national records and finished fourth in a World Championships final. She played camogie in her younger years at Portaferry Gaelic Athletic Club. Down GAA said she remained connected to her roots.

Tributes to her character

Olympic legend Lady Mary Peters called Mageean a wonderful person and praised her grace, talent and influence on the next generation. The Mary Peters Trust had supported her athletics career.

Peters said Mageean continued to encourage young athletes while receiving cancer treatment and would be greatly missed in sport. World Athletics described her as an inspiration on and off the track, citing her courage, warmth and spirit.

Portaferry Gaelic Athletic Club secretary Sean Young said members were shocked and disbelieving. He described Mageean as an exceptionally inspirational and humble person within the club.

Leaders remember Mageean

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill called Mageean a champion and role model, saying she met her cancer diagnosis with the bravery and determination she had shown in sport. Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said people throughout Northern Ireland were proud of and inspired by her.

Down GAA said it was honoured to count Mageean among its own and praised her courage, positivity and appreciation of life during illness. Taoiseach Micheál Martin expressed deep sadness and sent sympathies to her husband, family and friends.

World Athletics said her legacy would endure. A BBC News NI report also quoted a speaker praising the dignity with which she faced illness and her standing as a figure for the island of Ireland, but did not identify that speaker in the supplied text.

Death and family news

A statement on Mageean's social media accounts said she died on Sunday morning, surrounded by loved ones. Her death came less than three weeks after her marriage to long-term partner Thomas Moran. The statement and tributes did not give further details about her death.