Irish Olympian Ciarán Ó Lionáird dies suddenly aged 38

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The Cork native represented Ireland in the 1500m at the 2012 London Olympics and won bronze in the men's 3000m at the 2013 European Indoor Championships.

Raised near Macroom in County Cork, he first came to prominence at schools level, where he claimed the national 1500m title, before going on to secure bronze at the 2005 European Youth Olympic Festival.

After completing his schooling, Ó Lionáird accepted a scholarship to the University of Michigan before later transferring to Florida State University. His collegiate career culminated in him earning All-American honours at the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championship.

Ó Lionáird made his World Championships debut for Ireland in 2011, progressing to the final of the 1500m, but his career was hampered by injuries. He retired from athletics in 2016.

Four years later, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, Ó Lionáird announced that he would come out of retirement at the age of 32 in an effort to qualify for the postponed Olympic Games in Tokyo the following year.

However, illness derailed those plans and he retired for a second time in 2020.