There are several races you could choose to encapsulate Ciara Mageean. Maybe it’d be one of her three European outdoor medals – gold, silver and bronze. Maybe you’d rewind almost 17 years to that time when she seemed to spring from nowhere, aged just 15, and outclassed senior internationals to win the national indoor 1500m title.
Maybe it’d be the world U18 silver medal in 2009 or world U20 silver in 2010, both of which flagged up a talent of truly world-class proportions. Or maybe you’d fast forward through all the ups and downs to that fantastic fourth-place finish in last year’s world final. But no.
For me, the race that defines Mageean is one that’ll never make the highlights reel. It was at the Oslo Diamond League last year. Mageean went there in fine form, having broken the Irish 800m record just weeks before.
But on the lead-up, she’d overcooked it just a smidge in training and that adage in athletics – that it’s better to be 10% undertrained than 1% overtrained – was seen in full effect. She went out with the leaders but on the third lap, her legs appeared full of lead, Mageean fading through the field. With a lap to run, she was alone, detached at the back.
Now, there was a previous version of Mageean who, at that point, might have considered stepping off the track. No matter what she did, the race was going to be a bad one. But instead, she dug in, plugged her finger in the dam and didn’t let that gap grow any bigger.
Then slowly, steadily, s.
