Tonight was not Ciara Mageean's night. The Down athlete found herself in a stacked 1500 metres final at the European Championships in Belgrade. It was one race too many for Mageean after a challenging indoors season beset by injury. She was in the thick of things over the first few laps but when eventual winner Laura Muir picked up the pace, Mageean lost touch with the lead pack and eventually dropped out of the race.
Ciara Mageean is limping badly after dropping out of that women's 1500m. Looks in considerable pain with right leg walking off the track.
— Cathal Dennehy (@Cathal_Dennehy) March 4, 2017
Afterwards, David Gillick caught up with a visibly distraught Mageean in runners mixed zone. Anguish was written all over her face and she spoke with disarming honesty of the intense pain she was in.
A frustrated Ciara Mageean reflects on her 1500m final performance at the European Indoor Championships #RTESport #Belgrade2017 pic.twitter.com/VfHrGxH9rz
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 4, 2017
She spoke of similar pain to reporters after the Gillick interview
Ciara Mageean: "Something's hurting and I don't know why it's hurting. All I can say is I'm sorry for that display. That's not me out there" pic.twitter.com/HG75Spb133
— Cathal Dennehy (@Cathal_Dennehy) March 4, 2017
Mageean ended her interview with Gillick by apologising for her race. There was no need for that. She'll be back.
