CIARA CLOSES IN ON HER IDOL
Mageean hunts O’Sullivan’s 1500m record
CIARA MAGEEAN says her recordbreaking summer has convinced her she is capable of competing with the best in the world.
And the Co Down runner is now using the long-standing national 1500m record set by one of her idols, Sonia O’Sullivan, for motivation as she looks to maintain her form ahead of the rescheduled Olympic Games next July. Mageean broke the national 800m record in July, becoming the first Irish woman to run the distance in under two minutes.
Then in August, she broke one of O’Sullivan’s records, Mageean’s brilliant run in the 1000m topping a 27-year-old mark set by the Cobh legend.
‘It reassured me that the thing that I believed for so long, it was tangible proof that I can be up there and compete against the best in the world,’ Mageean said yesterday of her achievements.
The 1000m is not a championship distance, but the 1500m is one of the most high-profile challenges in athletics.
And as a middle-distance specialist, Mageean is inevitably drawn to O’Sullivan’s Irish record of 3m 58.85secs, set in 1995.
Mageean’s personal best is 4.00.15, set in Doha at the World Championships last year.
Her terrific summer form dipped last Sunday when she competed at a Diamond League event in Stockholm, running 4.10.99.
The memories of her recordbreaking runs, though, have had a major effect on her ambitions, she says.
‘I have a lot of confidence on the back of those two races and how I felt in them, and I know that the goal is going sub-four.
‘Every time I step on the track I just want to race, and I actually don’t try to dwell on the times too much. I find looking at the clock can weigh me down slightly.
‘I just like to try to go out and be competitive, and I know if I’m in a race and I’m competitive, that the times will come. But those previous two performances (before last Sunday) have shown me that that four-minute barrier, it’s getting closer and closer. And I believe that I can go under four, and I’ll keep having a little eye on Sonia’s record.’
O’Sullivan is arguably the greatest Irish athlete yet, and comparisons with her were inevitable once Mageean’s talent started to emerge.
And she spoke candidly about the importance of role models like O’Sullivan to her – and in turn how seriously she takes her own role as an inspiration for the coming generations.
‘Ever since I started my athletics career, people couldn’t help but bring Sonia’s name up alongside mine, and draw comparisons,’ said Mageean. ‘I’ve been very used to that from when I was no age.
‘Now, as I draw closer and closer to her senior records, it doesn’t come as too much of a shock to me because people have been doing that (for a long time).
‘Now I would never draw those comparisons myself. I would always look up to Sonia and see her performances as inspirational.
‘I definitely see Sonia as a huge inspiration in athletics, that an Irishwoman is up there competing with the best in the world and that she was a force to be reckoned with in world athletics.
‘I want to be in that position as well, and to see a fellow Irishwoman having done that in the past only gives you strength going forward, trying to take those steps yourself.
‘She forged the path, and I’m trying to follow in her footsteps.
‘It’s fantastic. It’s always great getting records, never mind national records, and never mind national records from such a phenomenal athlete.
‘I’m delighted to be able to get up there. It makes me very chuffed to see Sonia tweet after I get one of her records. It’s quite humbling because she is an idol of mine.’
That refers to a social media post from O’Sullivan congratulating Mageean on breaking her 1000m record.
‘I think it’s absolutely critical for young girls growing up. I feel very strongly that it’s inspiring for young boys as well,’ she said on the issue of role models.
‘I grew up with fantastic role models around me in my family, and I feel very fortunate that I had an aunt playing camogie who I dreamed of becoming – I wanted to be like my aunt Edel,’ she said.
Edel Mason won All-Ireland intermediate championships with both Down and Derry.
‘I’m completely humbled that a youngster would think of me as a role model, and I’m blown away whenever I’m reminded of that.
‘I only got a letter in the post today from a young girl who had sent me a letter before and I replied, and she sent one back.
‘Those things me an awful lot to me because I want to leave a legacy behind me in this sport.’
Ciara Mageean was speaking at the launch of ‘Girls Play Too – Inspiring Stories of Irish Sportswomen’ exclusively on
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“I want to leave behind a legacy in this sport”