Former European champion in the 1,500 meters dies at 34

Irish athlete Ciara Mageean, European champion in the 1500 meters in 2024, passed away at 34 after battling bowel cancer. Her family announced her death early Sunday morning. Mageean represented Ireland in the Olympics in 2016 and 2020, missing the 2024 Paris Games due to an Achilles tendon injury. She made history by becoming the second Irish athlete to win an individual European title, following Sonia O'Sullivan. Mageean also earned silver in the 2022 European Championships and bronze in 2016, along with a bronze medal at the 2019 Indoor European Championships. She was diagnosed with bowel cancer in July 2025.