'I'm determined to be there' - Ciara Mageean very motivated to compete in 2028 LA Olympics

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'I'm determined to be there' - Ciara Mageean very motivated to compete in 2028 LA Olympics

Evans Ousuru 08:00 - 22.11.2024

The 32-year-old is continuing with her recovery from surgery after missing out on Paris Olympics

Ciara Mageean has set her sights on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after the crushing disappointment of missing out on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games through injury.

The Northern Ireland 1500m specialist pulled out on the eve of her heat in France in August with painful chronic Achilles issues.

The 32-year-old is continuing with her recovery from surgery and focuses on new goals, including potentially taking in the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

"I have a long road of recovery ahead," Mageean told BBC. "Four years is a long time. I'm 32. I'll be 36 at the next Olympic Games but all I can say is I'm very motivated for it. I'm determined to be there. I don't know what the path ahead will hold but I'll be giving it absolutely everything to toe that line, fit and healthy, and be able to finally have an Olympic Games that I can walk away proud of."

Mageean's enforced withdrawal was the latest chapter in a number of Olympic heartbreaks for the athlete. The County Down woman narrowly missed out on a place in the final of her event in 2016 and a calf injury a week before her heat in the delayed Tokyo Games saw her eliminated at the first time of asking.

This year, she won the 1500m at the European Championships in Rome in June, but had struggled for form in the Diamond League events in Monaco and Paris in the build-up to the Games. "I've been managing an ankle issue for years, this is not a new occurrence for me," explained Mageean.

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