Agony for Mageean as dream turns into nightmare
CIARA MAGEEAN was overcome with emotion as she failed to finish the European indoor 1,500 metre final in Belgrade last night.
Mageean had never looked comfortable as Laura Muir injected the pace in the final, leading the field out with two laps completed.
The race turned into a nightmare for the Ulsterwoman who stepped off the track with 350 metres remaining and was limping heavilyon her right side.
‘I honestly don’t know what happened,’ explained Mageean afterward, holding back tears as her hopes of a second European medal vanished into the Belgrade night.
‘I just want to go back and chat with my physio Emma because something is hurting and I don’t know why it is hurting.’
The race itself went very much to plan with Britain’s new superstar winning gold in 4 minutes 2.39 seconds, some six seconds faster than Mageean’s personal best.
‘I felt fine when Muir picked up the pace and I was saying stay in the game, just stay out of danger, then I seemed to lose power.
‘Now something is throbbing in my right foot,’ Mageean revealed. ‘I’m worried now that this may be something to be concerned about.
‘Sometimes my feet are always a bit achy and sometimes I don’t always feel great, but something gave and I honestly don’t know what to say.
‘I’m not often stuck for words but right now I am, it’s hurting right now and I’m usually quiet good at coping with pain.’
It’s another setback for the 24-year-old Portaferry woman who missed her entire under 23 career due to injury having won European junior silver and gold in 2011.
Mageean seemed to have overcome her injury nightmare when she won 1,500 metre bronze in Amsterdam last summer, though was left to apologise for stepping off the track last night.
The nightmare continued for team Ireland when John Travers finished his 1,500 metre final in a very disappointing last place in three minutes 53.11 seconds
Travers was reinstated to the final on Friday night on appeal having stopped as the false start gun fired in the arena. Travers attacked the race aggressively, when the race had slowed on the opening lap, charging up the outside with just three laps remaining.
However the Dubliner caught the trailing leg of German Timo Benitz losing his stride and falling back down the field.
A lack of concentration appeared to strike Travers as he was boxed in slightly and eventually was tailed off the field with a lap remaining, before taking last place.
The second day of competition in Belgrade started brightly for the Irish with both Ciara Neville and Phil Healy progressing to the 60 metre semi-finals.
Neville, 17, showed some determined steal in her heat posting 7.46 seconds, well below her national record equalling best of 7.30 seconds.
The butterflies had been flying for the Limerick woman making her
international debut, her time sealed fourth place and automatic progression to the next stage.
Healy moved down to her more natural setting at 60 metres and sealed fourth place in her heat and with that progression to today’s semi-final.
Neville’s semi-final is scheduled for 3pm this afternoon with Healy up immediately afterwards. The first two in three semis plus the two fastest losers progress to the final.