Irish Olympian Ciara Mageean Dead at 34 After Cancer Battle

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The track and field community is mourning one of their own.

Two-time Olympian Ciara Mageean died Nov. 1 following a battle with bowel cancer, her family confirmed in a statement. She was 34.

"At 6:30am this morning, Ciara lost her battle with cancer surrounded by her loved ones," the statement shared on Instagram said. "A beloved daughter, sister, wife, friend and inspiration to so many, she will be deeply missed."

The post ended with a traditional Irish blessing, "ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam," which translates to "may her soul be at the right hand of God."

Tributes poured in for Mageean—who represented Ireland in track and field at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics—after her passing.

"We are devastated to hear about this loss to the world of sport," the Olympics' account commented under the post. "Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time."

World Athletics, the international governing body for track and field, wrote, "Heartbreaking news. A fighter on and off the track. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and the entire athletics community. She will be deeply missed."

Mageean—who became the second person ever to win an individual European title for Ireland when she won the women's 1,500 meters race at the 2024 European Athletics Championships—first announced that she'd been diagnosed with cancer last year.

"It’s been a lot to take in, but I’ve already started treatment and I’m incredibly grateful to be surrounded by the love and support of my family and close friends," she wrote on Instagram in July 2025. "Right now, my focus is on healing and taking things one day at a time. I kindly ask that you respect my privacy and that of my loved ones as we move through this together. Your understanding means more than I can say."

Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images

"Thank you for the love and strength," Mageean added at the time. "I’m ready to face this with the same fight I’ve always brought to the track."

She further detailed her diagnosis earlier this year when she shared that she specifically had stage 4 bowel cancer, which she first got tested for after noticing an uptick in the frequency of her bowel movements.

Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images

"I'll never forget that day on the 20th of May," she told RTE in an interview in June. "Going in to have what I thought was a routine little scope and I wouldn't find out results for a bit after. But instead on that very day, I found out that I had cancer."

"Because I'm so young and healthy, I thought I'll be at an early stage," Mageean added. "Not that any stage of cancer is okay."

The runner—who wed her partner Tommy Moran in an intimate civil ceremony in Northern Ireland weeks before her passing Oct. 12—was also reflective on what her diagnosis was potentially going to take away from her.

"I'm hopeful that I get to live into old age but the odds are stacked against me and that's really, really hard," Mageean said. "I am so grateful for the support of the Irish nation. It's been there for me throughout my entire career. But I feel supported and loved throughout this journey."

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