ATHLETICS: Ciara Mageean moves from Dublin to Stockport

Ciara Mageean believes her tough decision to move from Dublin to Stockport will help her impress at this week's IAAF world indoor championships in Birmingham before challenging for a medal at the Commonwealth Games.

The 25-year-old, who will be part of Northern Ireland’s team on the Gold Coast in April, has settled into life on the other side of the Irish Sea since linking up with new coach Steve Vernon’s training group last year.

She will arrive at ArenaBirmingham off a rest spell that followed her eighth place at last month’s New Balance Grand Prix in Boston.

But Mageean, part of a five-strong Ireland team for the showpiece which begins today, revealed house-sharing – and training - with leading athletes including Elinor Kirk, Ross Millington and Ben Connor has re-shaped her approach.

“That’s been fantastic for my mentality,” she said. “We’re supporting each other every step of the way.

“It makes things a little easier and for an athlete, it’s all the little things in my life that make things easier when it comes to the tough parts. You don’t use up energy.

“So a few of us will go to the gym together. We’ll go to the track together. Even chilling, we’ll take it in turns to make dinner.

“We’ll be in the front room foam-rolling. In Dublin I lived in my own in a house with the landlord and a flat-mate. It’s different to an athlete life.

“People thought I moved because I didn’t have the support – but the backing I had in Dublin was great. The Institute of Sport there put everything I needed on tap,” she added.