Irish runner Ciara Mageean dies at 34 after cancer battle

Irish middle-distance runner Ciara Mageean died on 1 November 2026, aged 34, after treatment for advanced bowel cancer. She was with her family when she died.

Mageean was one of Ireland's best runners in recent years. Her greatest achievement came at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, where she won gold in the 1,500 metres. Only Sonia O'Sullivan had won an individual European athletics title for Ireland before her.

Mageean also collected medals at earlier European Championships, winning bronze in 2016 and silver in 2022. She won a Commonwealth Games silver medal in 2022 and finished fourth at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. She competed at the Olympics twice during her career.