Ireland's Mageean ninth in Junior Women's Cross Country

Ciara Mageean has come home in ninth place for Ireland in the junior women’s race at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Santry Park, Dublin, this morning.

The Lisburn AC athlete started well and was placed in fourth early on.

However the blistering pace of Norway’s Karoline Grovdal at the front began to stretch the field.

Grovdal led the race home in a time of 14:10 to take the women’s junior title.

She was followed home by Russia’s Gulshat Fazlitdinova and Great Britain’s Kate Avery in second and third respectively.

Mageean was the best of the Irish in ninth in a time of 14:40.

Next best of the Irish was Charlotte Ffrench O’Carroll in 42nd position.

Russia took the gold in the team event with the Irish team finishing ninth overall.