LAST UPDATE | 22 Aug 2023

CIARA MAGEEAN DELIVERED the best 1500m performance of her career in Tuesday’s World Championship final in Budapest, setting a new national record as she agonisingly missed out on a medal.

Mageean ran a magnificent 3:56.61 to finish fourth in a world-class field as Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon was crowned world champion for the third time in a time of 3:54.87.

In doing so, she broke her own Irish national record and personal best, set in Brussels last September, by two-hundredths of a second.

Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia took silver (3:55.69) with Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands taking bronze (3:56.00).

After coming through the heats and semi-finals in impressive fashion, Portaferry’s Mageean knew that she would need to produce something special if she was to win Ireland’s first world championship medal on the track since Sonia O’Sullivan in 1995.

And as Kipyegon sought to dictate proceedings from the gun, Mageean, 31, had herself nicely positioned at the head of affairs, tucked in behind the double world and Olympic champion.

Speaking after the race, Mageean joked:

“I’d like to stand here being disappointed with fourth in the world, in previous years I would have taken off your hand for that.”

“But I came into this championship knowing that I had the ability to come away with a medal.”

“I’m just a little girl from a small town in County Down, a little girl from Portaferry with big dreams. I always knew that I could be the best in the world.”

“For every little kid, the length and breadth of Ireland, the dreams that you have be that sporting dreams, musical dreams, academic dreams, follow them with your whole heart because you can achieve absolutely everything,” she said.

🗣️ “To say that I stand here being disappointed with fourth in the world is something special…I’m proud of how I performed.”

Ciara Mageean reacts to her fourth place finish in the Women’s 1500m final at the World Championships, setting a new national record ✨🎤

What a star 🤩… pic.twitter.com/FuYyX0hmV9

— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) August 22, 2023

She held that position and was fourth at the bell, and as Kipyegon and Welteji upped the pace from the front to try to shake off their rivals, Mageean held firm while Nelly Chepchirchir of Kenya started to faded beside her.

Hassan, determined to banish her 10,000m final nightmare of last Sunday, eased on to Mageean’s shoulder and then passed her with around 200 metres to go.

From there, it looked likely that the race for silver and bronze would be contested by three: Welteji, Hassan and Mageean.

As Kipyegon powered to victory, running an eye-watering 56.8 seconds for her final lap, Mageean threw everything she had at her rivals in the home straight but could not close the gap.

Written by The 42 Team and posted on the42.ie