Updated 10.53am
TEAM NORTHERN IRELAND have named Ciara Mageean as their athletics captain for the Commonwealth Games.
The Games kick off on Australia’s Gold Coast tomorrow, with the 2016 European Championships 1500m bronze medalist confirmed to lead the 13-strong contingent last night.
The 26-year-old Olympian will contest the 800m and 1500m Down Under.
“It is such a huge honour to be captain of such a fantastic group of athletes,” Mageean said, as quoted by fastrunning.com.
“The atmosphere so far in our holding camp has been brilliant and the whole Athletics Northern Ireland team, both athletes and coaches, have worked brilliantly together to help each and every one of us best prepare for the Games ahead.
“We are all excited to step out with our Northern Ireland vests on our backs and give our best for our wee country.”
Mageean will be hoping to improve on some disappointing form of late on the Gold Coast. Last month, she came up short in her heat at the World Indoor Championships and missed out on the 1500m final.
Last year, she dropped out of the 1500m final at the European Indoor Championships and failed to progress from her heat at the Worlds.
The Portaferry native has been based in Manchester since late 2017, working under Steve Vernon.
Paul Pollock, Ben Reynolds, Kevin Seaward and Amy Foster are among others taking to the track for Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games.
Team Northern Ireland athletes:
Jack Agnew, Adam Kirk-Smith, Sommer Lecku, Ciara Mageean, Dempsey McGuigan, Adam McMullan, Emma Mitchell, Kate O’Connor, Paul Pollock, Leon Reid, Ben Reynolds, Kevin Seaward, Amy Foster.
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