Portaferry’s Ciara scoops big award

Portaferry’s Ciara scoops big award

4 January 2023

PORTAFERRY running sensation Ciara Mageean was honoured on Monday at the recent Irish Times / Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year Awards after an outstanding year.

Mageean won the Sportswoman of the Month award for August after claiming silver medals in the 1500m at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the European Championships in Munich.

It was two days into September though when she produced the race of her life, clocking a time of 3:56.63 at a Diamond League meeting in Brussels and finally getting the better of Scotland’s Laura Muir, who had denied her gold in both the Commonwealth and European races.

It was the first time Mageean broke the four-minute barrier for the distance but more importantly it saw her smash Sonia O’Sullivan’s 27-year-old national record of 3:58.85 in the process.

O’Sullivan, who was in the stadium for the race, saluted Mageean for not being “afraid to lose”, having gone all out with a blistering final lap, which she started in fifth.

“I felt like I was running on clouds,” said Mageean. 

“There’s a couple of occasions in your life where you manage to be in that zone and everything just comes together and you feel amazing.”

For her achievements Mageean was presented with the Sportswoman of the Month award for September at a gala lunch at the Shelbourne hotel before Christmas. 

This was the 19th year of the awards and Mageean was among 12 other monthly award winners nominated for the 2022 title including boxers Katie Taylor, Kellie Harrington and Lisa O’Rourke, para rower Katie O’Brien, golfer Leona Maguire and fellow athlete Rhasidat Adekele.