–Sinéad O’Carroll and Niall Kelly report from Rio de Janeiro
A DISAPPOINTED CIARA MAGEEAN has vowed to return to the athletics scene ‘stronger, faster and better’ in 2017 after failing to qualify for the 1,500m Olympic final.
The Down woman gave herself every chance of progressing from her semi-final but the race got away from her with about 200 metres to go.
“I tried to be up and put myself in contention – which I did. But I just didn’t have it at the end,” she said in an emotional, trackside interview.
I suppose I just didn’t have what I needed and what I wanted in that last 200. But that will come in the future.
As defiant in defeat as she was focused in victory, the 24-year-old vowed that this year – which included a bronze medal at the European Championships – was only the beginning for her.
“A lot of the girls I’m racing out there have three or four seasons of brilliant running and very few setbacks. This is my first year without getting injured and my first year being able to train the whole way through.
“This is ground zero for me and I’m just going to go from there.”
Mageean finished 11th in last night’s semi-final, with only the top five guaranteed to progress to the final.
Her time of 4:08.07 was just two-hundredths of a second outside her season’s best but she knew she’d have to go beat that to line out at the Olympic Stadium on Tuesday night.
“All I can say is that I’m really disappointed and I’m so grateful for all of the help everyone has given me to be here, to toe the line in an Olympic semi-final.
“To my coach Jerry (Kiernan) back in the studio who I know is going to be really disappointed in this moment in time. [And] all my family from Portaferry, all my friends and everyone throughout Ireland who’s helped me be here.
“I’m just really sorry that I didn’t give them an Irish finalist,” she added, her disappointment compounded by a belief that she can “rub shoulders with the best in the world”.
Following an impressive and comfortable performance in her heat, there were high hopes in the Mageean camp that she could do enough to make Tuesday’s final.
“I felt great after my heat,” she said.
I have no excuses for that performance out there. All I can is that I’m disappointed and very sorry for not doing what I wanted to do, what my coach wanted me to do and what everybody in Ireland wanted tonight.
Bidding to become the first Irishwoman to qualify for the Olympic 1500m final, Mageean ran a positive race from the gun and was at the head of proceedings, settling in second place early on.
After dropping back into the middle of the bunch, she pulled wide and moved back up into fifth position at the bell.
With five to qualify from each semi plus the two fastest losers overall, she made her move early on that final lap but was picked off by a succession of her rivals over the final 200 metres.
The race was won by world silver medallist Faith Kipyegon in a time of 4:03.95 – a pace much faster than Mageean’s season’s or personal best.
She wasn’t offering that as an excuse either.
“I just wanted the pace the race was going to go out,” she said.
“I suppose I’ve had a few slow races and I’ve been able to kick. But I have the strength to go with the fast pace, and I know my PB doesn’t reflect what I’m capable of.
“Hopefully, after this season, I can post a few more fast times, perhaps. And I can show the world that Ciara Mageean deserves to be in Diamond Leagues and can rub shoulders with the best in the world.”
More from The42′s team in Rio:
Well Done Celtic.
Worst Celtic jersey ever,then again they probularly felt sorry for the loyalists formally known as Rangers and gave them all to them to wear down in the cold bowls of scottish football