CIARA MAGEEAN HAS withdrawn from the Irish team for Sunday’s European Cross Country Championships in Italy due to illness.
The news was announced in an Athletics Ireland statement this morning, before Mageean posted a message on her personal social media accounts.
“While disappointed not be joining her team-mates in travelling to Turin this week, Ciara and her team have made the decision to allow Ciara to recover from a recent illness,” the statement reads.
“It has been a season to remember for the City of Lisburn star and we look forward to seeing Ciara back in the green singlet in 2023.
“Eilish Flanagan (Finn Valley AC) will now join sister Roisin on the senior women’s team as Ciara’s replacement. Eilish and Roisin will join an experienced senior women’s team which also includes Michelle Finn, Ann Marie McGlynn, Mary Mulhare, and Aoibhe Richardson.”
ℹ️Ciara Mageean has been forced to withdraw from the Irish team set to compete at the European Cross Country Championships on December 11th.
— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) December 5, 2022
Eilish Flanagan (Finn Valley AC) will now join sister Roisin on the senior women’s team as Ciara’s replacement⤵️https://t.co/kbFBkXRrGg pic.twitter.com/89RwiJM4X9
Mageean, who finished second to Sarah Healy at the National Cross Country Championships in Donegal two weeks ago, capped a sensational 2022 by being crowned Athlete of the Year.
The Portaferry star claimed 1500m silver medals at the Commonwealth Games and European Championships this summer, before breaking Sonia O’Sullivan’s long-standing record at the Diamond League meeting in Brussels in September.
“Disappointed to have to withdraw from the EuroX this weekend,” she wrote on Instagram and Facebook this afternoon.
“Unfortunately the flu managed to get me so I have to sit this one out.
“Good luck to the Irish team, I’ll be cheering you all on.”
- The full Irish team for the European Cross Country Championships is listed here>
