Gifted athlete whose wit and smile left lasting impression - Mageean obituary

The following year she represented Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, her first major senior championships.

Going into the last lap of the 1500m final, she was in last place. To be honest, she could have jogged around and no-one would have been critical of her. After all, making the final was quite the achievement.

But that wasn’t in Ciara's DNA. She battled all the way to the line to finish 10th.

That resilience and determination to fight were qualities she would show throughout her athletics career and in life itself.

Her career was a rollercoaster ride and her most memorable moments came later on.

She won European bronze in 2016, but I'd never seen her happier than she was after clinching silver at the Commonwealth Games in 2022. She followed that up with a silver at the European Championships and a first win in the Diamond League.

The following year she was fourth in the World Championships and smashing Irish records almost every time she ran.

Then came her most memorable race. The 1500m final at the 2024 European Championships in Rome.

Once again her determination not to be beaten was shown in the closing one 100 metres and she darted past Great Britain's Georgia Bell and Jemma Reekie to win gold.

It was a race that will live long in the hearts of Irish athletics fans and a moment in time that is more poignant today.

It was her moment that she shared with us all.

The stars never aligned for her at the Olympic Games. She ran in two - Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021 - but was never at her best and even when she was two years ago, a last-minute injury stopped her competing in Paris.

She was all set to try again for Los Angeles in 2028, which was to be the swansong of her career.

That was before the devastating cancer diagnosis in May 2025.

Even then Ciara decided to share her news publicly. It was those qualities again of resilience and determination to fight and in doing so provide inspiration to those who would find themselves in a similar situation.

That was who she was, in athletics and in life - an inspiration to others

I have many memories of Ciara including surprising her at home in Portaferry with the BBC Sport Northern Ireland Personality of the Year in 2023.

Filming in Portaferry was always fun because her mum, Catherine, would always lay out a welcoming spread of scones and cake and tea.

It's Catherine and Ciara's dad Chris, her husband Thomas and family that are in my thoughts today.

When I last spoke to Ciara, her relentless positivity remained undimmed.

Her infectious personality, quick wit, and smile left a lasting impression and her achievements on the track will serve as inspiration to others to never lose hope in the pursuit of dreams.