Cathal Dennehy: The race that defines Mageean will never make the highlight reel

“I’m excited for the next chapter, to learn from the things that happened and to drive towards the next Olympic cycle."

RESILIENT: Ciara Mageean. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

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.