Irish track and field Olympian Ciara Mageean has died at 34 following a battle with bowel cancer, her family confirmed in a statement. She died on Nov. 1 at 6:30 a.m., surrounded by loved ones.
Her family described Mageean as a beloved daughter, sister, wife, friend and inspiration. The statement concluded with the Irish blessing “ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam,” meaning “may her soul be at the right hand of God.”
Mageean represented Ireland at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Tributes were shared by the Olympics account, which expressed sympathy for her family and friends, and by World Athletics, which remembered her as “a fighter on and off the track.”
In 2024, Mageean became the second person to win an individual European title for Ireland when she took gold in the women’s 1,500 meters at the European Athletics Championships.
She announced her cancer diagnosis in July 2025, saying she had begun treatment and was focusing on healing while asking for privacy for herself and her loved ones. Earlier this year, she revealed that she had stage 4 bowel cancer. She told RTE that she sought testing after noticing more frequent bowel movements and initially expected the condition to be at an early stage because she was young and healthy.
Mageean also spoke about the uncertainty surrounding her prognosis and expressed gratitude for the support she received from people across Ireland. She married her partner, Tommy Moran, in an intimate civil ceremony in Northern Ireland on Oct. 12, weeks before her death.
Sources: E! News.