The track and field world mourns Ciara Mageean, who died at age 34. She had gotten married a week ago.

The track and field world is mourning the death of Ciara Mageean, a middle-distance runner from Northern Ireland and the 2024 European 1,500-meter champion. The Northern Irish athlete had been battling cancer for over a year.

Her family posted the following announcement on her social media profile: “This morning at 6:30 a.m., Ciara lost her battle with cancer, surrounded by her loved ones. A beloved daughter, sister, wife, friend, and source of inspiration to so many people, she will be deeply missed.”.

Just one week ago, Ciara had married Thomas Moran, her longtime partner. Mageean had made history for her country by winning the gold medal in the 1,500 meters at the 2024 European Championships in Rome. She competed in two Olympic Games—in Rio and Tokyo—but had to miss Paris 2024 due to injury.

Then came the devastating diagnosis in 2025: stage 4 bowel cancer, with metastases to the liver and lungs. It was an impossible battle to win, one that Ciara fought with courage, trying to carry on with her life: “I was diagnosed with cancer last May, and it’s been a pretty turbulent time. At first, when you get the diagnosis, you think: ‘Oh my God, am I going to die?’” she said in a recent interview.

“I always imagined growing old with Tommy and watching him age like a fine wine, but the reality is that I don’t know if that will happen,” she said, visibly moved.