Ciara Mageean has run the race of her life in Rome to become 1500m European champion. She won bronze and silver at these championships in the past but always craved the number one spot. Her dream was always to stand on top of the podium with Amhran na bhFiann playing.
READ MORE: Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley advance to 400m final READ MORE: Sonia O'Sullivan claims Irish star 'didn't try hard enough early on' in 5,000m European final In a tactical race, the strong British team did their best to box Mageean in. But she turned on the afterburners in the last 150m, slipping through a gap to sprint clear for gold. Mageean's time was 4.
04.66, which put her ahead of Britain's Georgia Bell in second spot and Agathe Guillemot of France in third. When on interview duty for RTE at major championships, David Gillick always got his hands on a small bin on his way to interview Mageean after races.
Those unfamiliar with northern slang were sometimes confused by Mageean's take on things. She'd tell Gillick that she needed to have a little 'boke' - get physically sick, in other words. That's the toll elite level 1500m running takes - and Mageean is definitely part of the elite, having won four major medals in one of the most competitive disciplines on the track.
Mageean has always been ferociously competitive, and she figures that's partly rooted in her camogie background. Even now, her eyes light up when she talks about the sport. She's been based in Manchester for the past few year.