Ciara Mageean marches into world 1500m final

The Irish medal hope needed to finish in the top six.

Sun, 20 Aug, 2023 - 17:44

Cathal Dennehy

With cruise control fully engaged, and not a trace of fatigue on her face, Ciara Mageean has breezed back into the world 1500m final. Three years on from her last one in Doha, the Portaferry native turned in a calm, confident display to finish third in her semi-final in Budapest this evening in 4:02.70.

Needing to finish in the top six to advance, Mageean played a patient game as the field went through 800m in a pedestrian 2:15.18. It was only approaching the last lap that the gears truly started to turn up front, and Mageean moved wide at the bell before coasting up to fourth entering the final bend. From there, she just had to maintain, and the 31-year-old did slightly more, edging past USA’s Cory McGee on the run to the line to book her spot in Tuesday’s final.

“It was choppy, but I enjoy racing like that,” she said. “People think athletics is a non-contact sport but it certainly isn’t when you look at all the athletes coming through with cuts and bruises these last few days. I felt comfortable, in control.”

With two Olympic champions also in the final in Faith Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan, along with a pair of formidable Ethiopians in Birke Haylom and Diribe Welteji, it will take the run of Mageean’s life to threaten the podium on Tuesday.

“It will take a PB to do it, but I feel ready,” she said. “It’s going to be fast, but that’s what we want. I feel in the best place I’ve ever been and I’m excited to get out there. There’s been many championships and I’ve been unfortunate to pick up something, so it’s nice to be in this position.”

There was a fine run, too, by Sarah Healy in the other 1500m semi-final, the Dubliner becoming the third Irishwoman in history to dip under four minutes after Mageean and Sonia O’Sullivan. But in a race loaded with quality, her Irish U-23 record of 3:59.68 was only good enough for eighth.

Healy said she was “thrilled to be the third one” to join the sub-four club but she still left wondering what might have been. “I never thought I’d be a little disappointed with sub-four, and I am super happy to run that time, and with how I competed, but the goal was to make the final,” she said. “I was close but not close enough.

“It’s the fastest I’ve ever run and normally sub-four would make the final, but it shows the standard is getting better every year. It’s nice to have a three beside my name on the start list. Sub-four isn’t good enough anymore, it’s low to mid 3:50s, so that’s what I need to aim for.”

Andrew Coscoran cut a disconsolate figure after finding himself well off the pace in the men’s 1500m semi-finals, the Balbriggan man positioning himself well to target a top-six qualifying position but finding his legs bankrupt on the final lap. He trailed home 14th in 3:37.39.

“The legs just weren’t there, I’m very disappointed,” he said. “I’ll go home, figure out what went wrong and try to get stronger. There’s a couple of things that got in the way on the lead-up, they’re all excuses, really. I’ll get them right next time. I’ve a few things to change and hopefully it can go better next year.”

Kate O’Connor rounded out a decent two days in the heptathlon with a season’s best of 2:14.25 in the 800m, the Dundalk athlete finishing 13th overall at her first ever global senior championships with 6145 points. Given a clean bill of health on the path to the Paris Olympics, she could well be one of the top Irish athletics performers at the Games. Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson reclaimed the world title with a superb 800m effort to tally 6740 points, 20 points clear of USA’s Anna Hall.