Tragedy and injury hit Ciara Mageean like a train in 2021

Pictured is Irish Olympian and International Athlete, Ciara Mageean, following the launch of this year’s GOAL Mile, proudly partnered by AIB. In supporting GOAL and encouraging people across the island of Ireland to step up together and take part in the GOAL Mile this Christmas, AIB is helping vulnerable communities already suffering deeply from the impact of crises, poverty and climate change. Complete the GOAL Mile by registering at goalmile.org and taking just 2,000 steps in any place, at any time during the month of December.

On and off the track, it was a year that tested Ciara Mageean to her limits. Having begun it by facing tragedy, with the passing of her longtime coach Jerry Kiernan, there was further heartbreak ahead at the Tokyo Olympics – an injury fleecing Mageean of her health and fitness just days before she toed the line.

The latter issue came out of nowhere as the 29-year-old was going through her final hard session at the Irish holding camp. The 2019 world finalist went into that workout – six reps of 300 metres – feeling in the form of her life, but after noticing a twinge on the fifth effort she knew something was up and called a halt.

After an MRI scan, Mageean remembers sitting with the medical team as they told her about the tear in her calf, an injury that typically required two weeks’ rest. She didn’t have that luxury.

“I didn’t actually say anything, I just left the room,” she says. “I’m not usually a rude person but I got up and walked into another room and just cried. I felt an awful lot of frustration.” 

In the end Mageean took five days’ rest, trying to maintain fitness on a spin bike and hiding her injury from teammates, not wanting them to feel the burden of her struggles.

“It was tough, I’m not going to lie. I talked to my parents a lot, I cried a good bit and then I just shook myself and said, ‘it is what it is, I can’t undo it.’ I just gathered myself and got ready.” 

After some gentle jogging in the days before her 1500m heat, she toed the line but was a shadow of her usual self, finishing 11th in 4:07.29. “My immediate prep wasn’t as good as I wanted but I was in good shape going into it and knew I’d give absolutely everything on the track, and I did,” she says.

The result brought to an end a difficult season on the track – Mageean also tore her glute back in April – but what she dealt with off-track was harder, with the passing of Kiernan like “being struck by a train.” 

“I think it hit me and a lot of people really hard. It’s something I still find tough, going home to nationals and it was strange not to see Jerry there, walking with his hands behind his back, his Barca scarf on, and big Nike coat.” 

At last weekend’s European Cross Country, Mageean was “thinking how much he’d have loved it, a home championship, and being able to hear his voice whenever we’d come past him.

"I’m always going to miss (him),” she says.

Competing in the 4x1500m mixed relay, Mageean turned in a performance which would have made her old coach proud, building a sizeable lead for Ireland on the opening leg – though they ultimately faded to fourth.

“Unfortunately the team didn’t win a medal but we win and we lose as a team and I think the overall message from the Euro Cross was fantastic for Irish athletics.” 

Mageean has many more championships ahead in 2022. Her first big target is the World Indoors in Belgrade in March, but as a Northern Irish athlete she’ll have the option of contesting three major championships in five weeks next summer: the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in mid-July; the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in early August; and the European Championships in Munich in mid-August.

Does she believe the triple is doable?

“It possibly is. If it’s something that best prepares me for bringing home medals is another question. I’d love to do all three but I have to weigh up what’s best, performance-wise.” 

As tough a year as it’s been, Mageean got through it with the resiliency that has come to define her, and with her health restored she has plenty to look forward to.

“I will say it’s given me that bit more fuel and fire in the belly,” she says. “It is a really short cycle to the next Olympics and it’s certainly given me that edge: I’m going to have a good Olympics, I’ll be sure of it. I’m not going to leave any stone unturned.” 

Ciara Mageean was speaking at the launch of this year’s GOAL Mile, proudly partnered by AIB. Complete the GOAL Mile by registering at goalmile.org and taking just 2,000 steps in any place, at any time during the month of December.