Gifted athlete whose wit and smile left lasting impression – Mageean obituary

The class and grace with which Ciara Mageean carried herself on and off the athletics track leaves a lasting impression, writes BBC Sport NI's Nigel Ringland. Ciara Mageean twice ran for Ireland at the Olympics and won a European gold medal in 2024 Two-time Olympian Ciara Mageean has died at the age of 34. BBC Sport NI's Nigel Ringland, who covered her entire career, shares his memories. Ciara Mageean was simply one of those people you never forgot if you were lucky enough to have known her. She will be remembered as one of Ireland's greatest athletes, but to those closest to her, she was a loving daughter and sister and just recently became a loving wife to Thomas.

I first met her at the start of 2009 at a pre-event press conference at the Odyssey Arena for the Irish National Indoor Championships. She was already thought of in high circles as a talent for the future although she had only recently decided to focus on athletics instead of her beloved camogie. Facing the media can be daunting for 16-year-olds, but Ciara gave a mature interview. The following year she represented Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, her first major senior championships. Going into the last lap of the 1500m final, she was in last place. To be