Ciara Mageean has won a silver medal for Ireland by finishing in second place 1500m final at the European Championships in Munich this evening.
The 30 year-old turned in an unbelievable performance, clocking in at a time of 4:02.56 on her way to picking up Ireland's first medal of the track and field tournament.
The County Down native, who won silver at the Commonwealth Games just a couple of weeks ago, was aggressive right from the off and set the pace for the first three laps. Mageean has battled nerves on the biggest stages in the past, but she was a picture of serenity as she quickly found her stride and took command of the race.
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Laura Muir of Great Britain, the five time European medalist kicked for home with one lap to go and Mageean followed snapping at her heels all the way to the line. Muir held on for the win in a time of 4:01.08, with Mageean finishing second ahead of nemesis Sofia Ennaoui of Poland who beat the Irish star to a medal at the 2018 Championships.
Muir and Ennaoui had been the two hot favourites heading into the final, with many believing that that bronze was perhaps the only medal that the Irish star could come home with. Mageean however, kept pace with Muir right up until the last 100 metres, and finished comfortably ahead of the Pole.
The Great British athlete collapsed in a heap just after the finish line in exhaustion. The dominant Olympic silver medalist was pushed all the way by Mageean in a manner that she's not used to.
And in touching scenes after the race's conclusion, Mageean and Muir, both exhausted on the track embraced, the respect between the two clear to see.
It hasn't all been smooth sailing for Mageean this year, as the two time Olympian has been hampered by injuries over the past year or so. A calf issue hampered Mageean's preparations for last years Olympic games, meaning that she wasn't even able to qualify for the semi-final of the event. While earlier this year, another calf injury ruled her out for much of the indoor season.
This is the third European Athletics Championship that the Portaferry native has competed in. Mageean has now won a bronze at the 2016 Championships, to go with her silver triumph in Munich this evening.
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