Ciara Mageean put in a special performance last night.
The 30-year-old ran the race of her life, pushing Laura Muir all the way and taking home the silver medal in impressive fashion at the European Championships.
It's been a long journey for Mageean filled with ups and downs. An injury hit 2021 meant she couldn't perform to her best at the Tokyo Olympics, while a niggling calf injury earlier this year ruled her out of much of the indoor season.
READ MORE: Ciara Mageean wins silver for Ireland at European Championships
Emotionally, she's been through the ringer as well. The Portaferry woman has struggled in the past with nerves on the biggest stage, but was a picture of serenity as she cruised through the field in Munich last night.
Immediately after the race, Mageean spoke to RTE Sport and described her emotions at bringing home a silver medal to Ireland, her second major medal of the summer after winning silver at The Commonwealth Games a couple of weeks ago.
"I rarely get emotional in athletics, but the year that I've had, I was going around there seeing all the tricolours and I'm feeling a little bit emotional, it's absolutely fantastic" the 30-year-old said.
Mageean finished second to Great Britain's Laura Muir, the same athlete that pipped Mageean for Commonwealth gold in Birmingham. On that occasion, Muir blew the field away, but last night Mageean matched her stride for stride down the stretch.
"I knew that it was going to be tough, I had Laura and Sophie in my mind. In my warm-up, I even visualised Laura going from there and when it happened, I just told myself to go with her, I told myself to be her shadow," Mageean explained.
"I did exactly what myself and my coach said I would do, and I stayed a hell of a lot closer to her than I did in the Commonwealth games.
"I tried my best to stick to her, but Laura's got the better of me on a good few occasions now.
"My time will come. This is what it's all about. I know that I'm there, and I'll keep trying for that gold, but to bring two silver medals home this summer, one for northern Ireland, one for Ireland."
Many people have helped the mid-distance star to get to the position she know finds herself in. Perhaps no-one shaped Mageean more so than the late great Jerry Kiernan, who coached Mageean for many years. And after last night's stunning silver medal run, Mageean paid tribute to her late friend along with all of her current and former coaches.
"Thanks to Helen (Clitheroe,) to Steve (Vernon,) to the late great Jerry Kiernan, he'll have the best seat in the house, to my first coach Eamon Christie and to everyone that's helped me along the way."
Athletics legend Kiernan was Mageean's coach from 2013-2017, with the duo parting ways once Mageean moved to Manchester. The pair remained good friends, and when Kiernan died at the beginning of 2021 following a short illness, his former pupil penned an emotional tribute to her 67-year-old mentor.
"There will be a few people who walk through your life and leave lasting footprints in your heart," wrote Mageean on Twitter at the time.
"Jerry Kiernan was one of those people. I feel truly blessed and privileged to have been able to call him my coach and friend."
"Thank you Jerry, for everything."
Mageean certainly did her friend proud last night and while he wasn't there in person, he was there in spirit cheering Ciara on along with the rest of the island.
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