Team GB star handed punishment after medal hopes crushed following collision with Chinese skater
Team GB speed skater Niall Treacy saw his Olympic medal hopes vanish in dramatic fashion during Saturday’s men’s 1500m short track final at Milan Cortina.
The 25-year-old was sitting in third position with five laps remaining when he moved wide on a bend and collided with China’s Sun Long.
Both competitors were sent crashing into the padded barriers, ending their medal aspirations instantly.
Officials subsequently conducted a VAR review and determined Treacy was responsible for the incident.
The penalty saw the British skater drop from sixth place at the finish line down to ninth in the final standings.
Treacy’s presence in the final represented a remarkable achievement given his standing as the world’s 22nd-ranked competitor in the discipline.
His Olympic pedigree offered little indication of what was to come, having finished 27th in the 1000m at Beijing four years ago and suffering an early exit in the same event’s opening round at these Games.
The Briton’s career has largely been spent away from the spotlight.
Team GB speed skater Niall Treacy saw his Olympic medal hopes vanish in dramatic fashion during Saturday’s men’s 1500m short track final at Milan Cortina
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He earned a European bronze medal in 2024, along with a few other notable results, and a single top-10 finish at the world championship level.
Yet his Milan campaign proved transformational, finishing second in his quarter-final before winning his semi-final.
That result meant Treacy had come tantalisingly close to becoming Britain’s first speed skating medallist since Nicky Gooch claimed 500m bronze more than three decades ago in 1994.
The Briton had actually led the race at one point, sweeping around the outside in similar fashion to his semi-final victory.
Treacy was determined to be responsible for the incident
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However, he slipped back to third before the fateful collision brought his challenge to an abrupt end.
Gold went to Dutch skater Jens van ‘T Wout, who secured his second short track title of these Winter Olympics.
South Korea’s Hwang Daehoen took silver.
Latvia’s Roberts Kruzbergs completing the podium in bronze position.
The penalty saw the British skater drop from sixth place at the finish line down to ninth in the final standings
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Despite the crushing disappointment, Treacy maintained his composure when speaking to TNT Sports afterwards.
He said: “It’s not the result that you want when you go to the final. I didn’t see the guy; I felt like I was still trying to build speed.”
The skater added: “If you told me at the start of the day, ‘you’re gonna be in an Olympic Game final,’ maybe I wouldn’t have believed you, so yeah, it’s not the result, but I’m really proud of what I did today.”
Former Team GB skater Wilf O’Reilly expressed his disappointment during BBC coverage, noting Treacy had been performing superbly and appeared a genuine podium contender.
