Irish Olympian and European 1500m champion Ciara Mageean dies of cancer aged 34, just weeks after her wedding

Ciara Mageean, the Co Down athlete who became Ireland's second individual European athletics champion by taking 1500m gold at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in 2024, passed away at 6.30am on Sunday with her family at her side, just one week after marrying Thomas Moran at Belfast City Hall. Her bowel cancer, diagnosed at stage four in May 2025, was something she confronted openly, telling supporters she was "ready to face this with the same fight I've always brought to the track."

Mageean held Irish records over 800m, 1500m and the mile, and competed at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, with a third Paris Games appearance cut short by an Achilles injury.

A statement on her Instagram read: "A beloved daughter, sister, wife, friend and inspiration to so many, she will be deeply missed."