Ciara Mageean Breaks 1500m Irish Record Ahead of AIT Games

15 February 2019

Ciara Mageean Breaks 1500m Irish Record Ahead of AIT Games

Ciara Mageean (UCD/ Team New Balance) continued her recent record successes, this week when she broke the Irish 1,500m record once again, at the AIT Games in Athlone.

Her time of 4 mins 6.78 secs is the 7th faster in the world this year and nearly 2 seconds faster than her previous Irish record set in Germany two years ago.  Mageean is on top form after breaking the Irish Mile Record in Boston only 3 weeks ago.

An overjoyed Mageean said:
"I am delighted to get the win though I was confident from the gun. I'm feeling really good at present and I think a lot of it is to do with going to Manchester where I am with a great training squad."

Mageean will be looking to the weekend, where she is set to compete in the 3,000m at the Irish life Health Senior Championships in Abbottstown.

This meeting should secure titles for several Northern Irish athletes including Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Leon Reid who is defending his 60m and 200m titles.

Leon warmed up in Athlone with a 48.44 secs over 400m and should retain both sprint titles with ease. Chief threat especially over 200m will be Ireland's Marcus Lawler with Ballymena's Dean Adams aiming for a place over 60m.

In the Women's 60m all eyes will be on the rising star of Lisburn AC’s Lauren Roy, who has qualified for the Glasgow European Championships with a huge PB of 7.39 secs. She will face Carlow AC's Molly Scott who heads the Irish list with 7.36 secs plus Emerald AC's Ciara Neville.

Annadale Strider's Conall Kirk has been steadily climbing with each race. In Athlone he set another PB of 1.48.95 in 5th place behind winner Mark English (1.46.92). The two clash again this weekend with former European medallist English the hot favourite with  23 year old Kirk also aiming for a medal.

Also defending titles will be Finn Valley’s Sommer Lecky (Finn Valley) in the High Jump having recently cleared 1.84m, and Andrew Mellon (Crusaders AC) in the Men’s 400m. Matthew Behan (Crusaders) will also be looking for gold in the Men’s 60m Hurdles.

Athletes with European Indoor Qualifiers

Ciara Mageean (UCD)                                    Women’s 1500m

Lauren Roy (City of Lisburn AC)                  Women’s 60m

Conall Kirk (Annadale Striders)                   Men’s 800m