NIALL Treacy is “dreaming” of a place at next year’s Winter Olympics after recently securing a fourth-place finish at a World Cup event in Hungary.
The Henley-in-Arden speed skater is currently aiming to qualify for Beijing 2022 and produced a brilliant performance to narrowly miss out on the podium in Debrecen.
And the 21-year-old recently starred at other World Cup events in China, Japan, Hungary and Netherlands as he bids to secure his Team GB slot.
Treacy’s brother Farrell flew the Team GB flag at PyeongChang 2018 but was unable to make the final in the last World Cup event and remains in contention for an Olympic selection spot.
And Treacy hopes to fulfil a childhood dream of representing his country at the Games next year.
Treacy said: “To actually get a spot on there would be everything, it was something I dreamed of since I was eight.
“Seeing Farrell go four years ago too – it’s something I’ve dreamed of and always wanted to do. It would be great to do it in Beijing.
“There’s such a thrill of just going fast on the ice – it’s such an unpredictable sport and sometimes that’s a blessing and a curse.
“The nature of it means you can get lucky and unlucky, but that’s short track and how it goes.
“Having six other people racing with you at the same time, you’re all on millimetre-thick blades going 45mph, it’s something special and hard to describe unless you’ve actually done it.
“It’s exhilarating to know we’re all going fast and if one person at the front messes up, we could all be in the barriers with him, it’s crazy.”
Treacy trains as part of the elite British squad at Nottingham’s National Ice Centre and shares a gym at the University of Nottingham with Team GB weightlifter Emily Campbell.
And Treacy hopes to replicate Campbell’s inspiring performance at Tokyo 2020 when she became the first British woman to win an Olympic medal in weightlifting.
Treacy added: “We watched as much of the Olympic Games as we could and having trained at the university gym, we’ve seen Emily quite a lot.
“That was pretty special to know that we trained in the same place as her. We talked to her about experiences, dealing with the build-up to Tokyo and its postponement.
“That was quite special to train alongside her, and then watch her get a medal at the Olympic Games. She lifted one weight and we were like ‘woah.’
“It’s quite funny that they’re racking up about 200kg and crushing it, but we get a bit sore after a light weight that wouldn’t even be a warm up for them.
Treacy’s career on the ice is fuelled by a partnership from Entain – owner of Ladbrokes and Coral – and SportsAid.
Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, is proud to be championing the next generation of British sporting heroes by providing talented young athletes with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid.
Visit entaingroup.com to find out more.
