The Roma 2024 European Athletics, already historically memorable for Ireland after victory in the inaugural 400m mixed relay, became even better tonight as 32-year-old Ciara Mageean earned the major title she has been searching for all her career in winning the women’s 1500m.
Mageean missed gold by one place at the Munich 2022 edition of these Championships before finishing fourth at last year’s World Championships in Budapest.
Finally, in Roman rain, she secured that elusive top spot on an international podium after seeing off the challenge of a talented trio of British runners and a hugely determined French athlete to come home in 4:04.66, her set face changing into a smile of glorious realisation.
She thus became only the second Irish athlete to win a European title after Sonia O’Sullivan, who won the 3,000m in 1994 and did the 5,000 and 10,000m double at the 1998 edition in Budapest.
Second place went to Britain’s Georgia Bell, badly spiked in the semi-finals, who produced a hugely composed performance, remaining always within striking distance of the lead, and was rewarded tangibly after finishing this tricky, tactical race in 4:05.33.
Bronze went to a delighted Agathe Guillemot of France, who stuck to her task as the race grew hectic around her and crossed the line in 4:05.69, with the fast-finishing Esther Guerrero of Spain finishing fourth in 4:06.03.
Bell’s compatriot Jemma Reekie, who had been a little downcast at only taking world indoor gold earlier this year in her home city of Glasgow, gave it all she had in a quest for gold but eventually faded in the final straight, ending in fifth place in 4:06.17.
Ecstatic Mageean
“I am absolutely ecstatic,” Mageean said. “I came to these Championships knowing that the British athletes were so strong and I really saw them as the biggest threat on the track so to be able to come on the top, I would probably not believe it at the beginning of the season.
“It has been a long time coming in. I am 32, I have been in this sport for a long time and I have been waiting to hear the national anthem in the stadium for many years.
“The atmosphere in the team is absolutely fantastic. I am the oldest member of the team, I am looking at the athletes coming through with so much pride - this is the second gold medal and I do not think it is going to be our last. We have amazing young athletes coming through.”
Guillemot added: “I want to enjoy this moment and seize it. I have reached the first level I wanted to reach since I was a little kid. I have always watched the European Championships. And I have always dreamt of this lap of honour with the national flag. So, I really seized the moment and this is only the beginning.”
Tuel takes 800m glory
France’s Gabriel Tual stayed strong to secure the men’s 800m title, first tracking and passing the leader at the bell, Spain’s Alvaro De Arriba, and then holding off the late challenge of a second Spanish runner, Mohamed Attaoui to win in 1:44.87.
The latter athlete claimed silver in 1:45.20, ahead of Italy’s Catalin Tecuceanu, who took bronze in 1:45.40.
Tual, 26, who was sixth in the Tokyo 2020 final, used all his experience as he tracked De Arriba’s surge to the front 100 metres before the bell, overtaking him on the outside in the back straight as the race suddenly became frantic.
As De Arriba faded, his compatriot Attaoui, who had tried to go on the outside of Tual, continued to apply pressure, but Tual was not to be deterred.
“Seeing Alice (Finot) win the gold medal, I think I got some motivation from her earlier,” Tual said. “The goal was to win the race like I did yesterday and the day before. I tried my best and I came first, it is quite amazing.
“We will see in Paris what I can do. I hope I will do even better. It was a tactical race, we came fast on the first 100m and then we slowed down, really tactical and heavy pressure. I felt like everyone was on nerves. It was quite tough.”
Finot finish secures gold
France’s Alice Finot timed her challenge to perfection in steady rain to earn gold in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase.
The 33-year-old from Montebeliard, who earned 3,000m silver at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships, took over the lead at the bell and accelerated away from all opposition to win her first major title in 9:16.22, the fastest European time of the season. As she crossed the line, she stuck out both her arms and lifted her face to the elements.
“I was very brave in the last 500m because the girls are really fast and there can be a big difference with the only 200m to go,” said Finot, who was disqualified for stepping onto the infield after a water jump and then reinstated on appeal.
“I was like: OK, I have strong legs today and I will do the job for the girls. And if somebody is faster in the end, it is OK. I just try. I am just so happy I made it. I did not care about the time. Today was not my goal. I was not at the 200 percent - I was only at 100 percent. But as athletes, we have to be at 200... Then, the 200 will come at the Olympics.”
Silver went to Germany’s Gesa Krause, European champion in 2016 and 2018, who had responded most smartly to Finot’s move and held her form to cross in 9:18.06.
Britain’s Elizabeth Bird, the only other runner to respond effectively to the Finot surge, took a second successive European bronze as she clocked 9:18.39, gaining rapidly on Krause in the final 30m.
Krause’s compatriot Lea Myer had led the main group to 1600m in 3:42.92 before Romania’s Stella Rutto took up the running, with Luiza Gega, who became Albania’s first ever European champion in taking gold at Munich two years ago, ready to cover any move.
The Romanian’s input began to string out the field but at the bell it was Finot who made her move to the front, and went for broke, with Krause – who had earlier bumped into the back of Gega, and Bird taking up the chase and swiftly becoming the prospective medallists. Gega, 35, eventually finished fifth in a season’s best of 9:22.92.
Mike Rowbotton for European Athletics