Ciara Mageean celebrates with gold medal as dad’s ‘brilliant’ reaction revealed

TRACK hero Ciara Mageean’s delirious dad ran out of the family home in celebration as his golden girl stormed to glory at the European Championships.

The Irish rocket powered to her first major title at the age of 32 as she won the women’s 1500m Final in an epic triumph at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Sunday night.

Portaferry star Mageean credited her GAA background for helping her to find a small gap past British rivals Georgia Bell and Jemma Reekie in the final straight, saying: “I didn’t grow up playing camogie to get boxed in.”

And the Irish Sun can reveal how the running sensation’s parents went GAA-GAA back home in Co Down following the athletics masterclass.

Proud mum Catherine watched the big race on TV with her husband Christopher at the Mageean family home in Portaferry.

And Catherine revealed how overjoyed hubby Christopher went dancing on the streets following his daughter’s famous victory.

She told the Irish Sun: “We were not in Rome for the final. Christopher and I were at home, just the two of us in the house.

“We just jumped around the kitchen. Christopher then ran outside and was running up and down.

“Christopher was out on the street and everything. I’m sure the neighbours were laughing. It was brilliant!

“We are all so proud of her, just bursting with pride.”

Co Down speed machine Mageean had won bronze and silver medals at previous European Championships.

But the gutsy middle-distance runner bagged gold on Sunday despite being boxed in by British duo Bell and Reekie.

With just 90 metres left, fearless Ciara managed to find a gap down the home stretch to better her bronze and silver medals at previous European Championships.

The superstar runner hails from a well-known GAA family in the Down hurling stronghold of Portaferry.

Family pedigree

Along with her siblings, she wore the club colours, while her father Christopher was part of the Down team that famously relegated reigning All-Ireland champions Kilkenny from Division 1 of the Allianz League in 1993.

Ciara’s mother Catherine was also a talented camogie player in her youth.

And reflecting on her daughter’s European 1500m Final gold, Catherine says Ciara’s GAA roots lining out for St Patrick’s Portaferry gave her the physical edge she needed to muscle through and take the title on Sunday.

Catherine told us: “The camogie definitely helped. That was her first love.

‘Straight on through’

“I could see when she spotted that gap, if you watch the replay, she sort of blows out and then takes a big intake of breath and just goes, I swear to God as if she was going for a goal. Straight on through and once the heels started to lift, there was nobody going to catch her. That was her, she was through.

“It was as if she was going for goal, I could just see her with the hurl and the ball in her hand. That was the look on her face. There was going to be no holding her back. She was just waiting for the opening to get through.

“There is a strong GAA background in the family. I did play a bit but my sister Edel was a far better camogie player than I ever was. Christopher played for Down and for Ulster, he certainly enjoyed hurling. I was a hurling widow for manys a day.”

Mageean has set her sights on further glory at the Paris Olympics in August after racing to European 1500m gold in Rome.

Career full house

Ciara came home in 4.04.66 to make it a career full house of bronze, silver and gold medals for her at the championships.

But following the medal ceremony at the European Championships, determined Mageean is making an immediate return to training in the high altitude Swiss town of St Moritz.

Mum Catherine told us how Ciara’s homecoming celebrations have been put on ice until after the Olympics.

She said: “Ciara won’t be over here for a while yet. She will be heading straight back to St Moritz. Back up to altitude. She just can’t wait to get back into training. She is eager, she is wanting to make the best of it.

Homecoming plans on hold

“So Ciara will be going back to altitude, she is concentrating now. She has really been trying to stay at altitude for most of the time and trying to cut down on losing the benefit of that by not travelling unnecessarily.

“After the Olympics, she will hit home. It will not be until everything is sort of over at the end of the summer.”

With homecoming plans on hold, the Mageean clan are finalising plans to travel to support their girl at the Paris Olympics.

Catherine said: “We’re all heading to Paris. My son is in England so he is going by Eurostar. But the rest of us are flying en masse from Dublin, extended family as well. We’re looking forward to it. A bit nervous about the whole thing. It has taken a long time to plan. You were in the draw for spaces to do your tickets and then you had to wait for the flights to be released and then you had to wait for hotels to take your bookings. It seems to be a real protracted affair but now it is on the horizon.

‘Can’t wait to cheer Ciara on’

“The heats for the women’s 1500m start on August 6, then the semi final is August 8 and the final is August 10. We head over on August 3 until the 12th, so we have a little bit of space on either side. We will make a holiday of it and see a few of the sites as well. We just can’t wait to cheer Ciara on.”

As Mageean gears up for the Olympics, Padraig Mason, treasurer of St Patrick’s GAC, Portaferry, also spoke of the joy in Ciara’s hometown GAA club with her European gold medal success.

Padraig told the Irish Sun: “We’re all delighted and very proud of her to be honest. It is great that she finally got the gold medal and it is great that she showed her camogie skills in pushing through the pack. We thought she was going to get boxed in at the last, but once she seen the gap she went for it, we are absolutely delighted for her.

“Ciara always keeps in contact with us. Any time she is home, she is out, she actually goes out and does a bit of training in the club as well whenever she is here. She has never forgotten her roots. When she is on the news, she always likes to get Portaferry involved in it. We are so proud of her.”