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Ciara Mageean Dies Aged 34 After Stage Four Bowel Cancer Diagnosis
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Ciara Mageean, Irish European champion, died aged 34 after stage four bowel cancer diagnosis. Two-time Olympian who represented Ireland in 2016 and 2020 Games; withdrew from 2024 Paris.
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Mageean dies at 34
Ciara Mageean died at the age of 34, her family said, after she was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in May 2025.
“At 6.30am this morning, Ciara lost her battle with cancer surrounded by her loved ones.”
Mageean, from Portaferry in Northern Ireland, represented Ireland at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, but an Achilles injury forced her to withdraw from the 2024 Paris Games.
Mageean had clinched the first major title of her career when she took 1500m gold at the European Championships in Rome, and she later won the European 1500m title in Rome in 2024 with a time of 4:04.66.
Mageean’s family posted: "At 6.30am this morning, Ciara lost her battle with cancer surrounded by her loved ones."
Athletics Ireland said: "We are heartbroken. An inspiration to so many, Ciara will be remembered for her courage, kindness and incredible spirit."
Career, records, and setbacks
Mageean’s junior career included 1500m silvers at the 2010 World Junior Championships and 2011 European Junior Championships, and she reached the 2010 Commonwealth Games 1500m final as an 18-year-old. Mageean’s senior progress was hampered by a serious ankle injury that ended her hopes of making her Olympic debut at London 2012, and she later won the Irish 1500m title on her return in July 2014. Mageean clocked two minutes 31.06 seconds to take 3.6 seconds off Sonia O'Sullivan's 27-year-old Irish 1,000m record at the 2020 Diamond League Monaco meet.
Mageean also held Irish records in the 800m (1:58.51), 1000m (2:31.06), 1500m (3:55.87) and mile (4:14.58). Mageean told RTÉ Radio in June that she was determined to "fit as much living into the years I have left" as she spoke about her stage four cancer diagnosis.
Tributes and next chapter
Simon Harris described Mageean’s death as heartbreaking, saying on X: "She was a European champion, two-time Olympian, a proud Irish athlete and an extraordinary person." Athletics Ireland paid tribute to Mageean as "a much-loved and inspirational figure who touched the lives of so many," and it said her courage, warmth and spirit would leave a lasting legacy. Mageean and her long-term partner Thomas Moran were married last month in a ceremony at Belfast City Hall, and the couple later held a large wedding party at Darver Castle in Co Louth.
“She was a European champion, two-time Olympian, a proud Irish athlete and an extraordinary person.”
Mageean’s social media statement said: "Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam (may her soul rest in peace)." Mageean had earlier told the BBC in June that she was "grateful" for having a career "that many others didn't get to have".