Ciara Mageean broke Sonia O'Sullivan's 29-year-old Irish mile record at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco on Friday evening. The race also saw Faith Kipyegon smash Sifan Hassan's previous world record.
Mageean ran 4:14.58 as she finished second in the race behind Kenyan Kipyegon. The time broke O'Sullivan's previous Irish best, which was set in Oslo in 1994, by 2.68 seconds. It also makes the Down athlete the fifth fastest woman ever over a mile. Her previous best for the distance was 4:19.03.
In late May, Mageean took back the Irish 800m record, running 1.59.28 in Manchester to break Louise Shanahan's mark.
"To be honest I think it´s been my best season yet," said Mageean.
"I have opened it strong and have stayed consistent. Today I ran an Irish Record over the mile. I am really proud of myself for that. I feel I am in a really good place to go the World Championships.
"Sometimes when you know you are in a good shape, it´s a bit more scary because you really know that you can achieve your goals. I was very nervous but I knew that if I managed to push away all these worries, and just focused on my race, I could do it. I am really glad I didn´t fail.
"It was my third time in Monaco and I really love it, it´s so beautiful. It´s one of the fastest tracks in the world, even if it was a little too warm for an Irish person.
"Last year was a big summer for me because I won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games and another silver medal at the European Championships. They were my two first outdoor international medals. This summer I want to get to the World Final."
✨ MAGEEAN SMASHES NATIONAL MILE RECORD ✨
Ciara Mageean (City of Lisburn AC) has smashed Sonia O'Sullivan's national mile record to finish a superb second at the Diamond League in Monaco this evening 🤩
⏱ 4.14.58 NR
🔗 https://t.co/A5jHPIswkX#IrishAthletics pic.twitter.com/eQNkVJkY8S— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) July 21, 2023
Huge @irishathletics National Record by @ciaramageean with 4.14.58 beating the great @soniaagrith 's record by almost 3 seconds at the @MeetingHerculis @Diamond_League. 5th fastest EVER!
Second in a WR race by @FaithKipyegon_
Delighted to see it in person! pic.twitter.com/RvKyQ4aOds
— Seamus Carey (@SeamusCarey) July 21, 2023
Kipyegon won the race in 4:07.64, taking nearly five seconds off the record which Hassan set four years ago.
The race also saw several other athletes break national records. That includes Laura Muir who finished fourth in 4:15.24 to break Zola Budd's 38-year-old British record.
Ciara Mageaan breaks Irish mile record
See Also: Sophie O'Sullivan Kicks Just Like Sonia To Seal Famous 1-2 For Ireland In At U23 Euros
