Farrell Treacy embraces ‘carnage’ to make first Winter Olympic speed skating final

The 26-year-old claimed an unlikely place in the 1500m Olympic final

The 26-year-old claimed an unlikely place in the 1500m Olympic final (REUTERS)

Farrell Treacy clearly relished the fact that, for once, it wasn’t a British short track speed skater being disqualified.

The 26-year-old claimed an unlikely place in the 1500m Olympic final after Canada’s Charles Hamelin was booted out of the semi-final for trying to illegally overtake him.

A chaotic series of heats saw various penalties given that produced the first-ever Olympic final with ten men in it, Treacy among three automatically ‘advanced’.

For a fleeting moment, the nation dared to dream that the Solihull-born star would win Team GB’s first medal here in Beijing. We’ve all seen Australia’s Steven Bradbury improbable win in 2022 - now it was our turn.

“You know there’s going to be carnage,” said Treacy. “I was just trying to stay out of trouble, there were people trying to steal places and I just didn’t want to get involved with any of it really.

“I hoped would be a little bit more fighting and be there and maybe take advantage of a couple of bumps. I didn’t want the race to go fast.”

It went fast. South Korea’s Daeheon Hwang took gold in just outside world record time - Treacy skated a big personal best and British record, 2:11.988, that was only enough for ninth.

Treacy had shown tactical nous and composure through the rounds, somehow managing to stay on his feet after a Hamelin made his daredevil move on the inside midway through the semi-final.

“I saw Charles make a move up the inside and I didn’t want to let him pass,” said Treacy. “I knew somebody was coming around my outside and I blocked out the track thinking, ‘he’s going to pull out now, there’s no way he’s going to go for it’, and he still went for it.

“I looked at my coach straight after and thought, ‘is this an advancement?’  and he nodded his head. We made eye-contact and then I knew I was in the final.”

It is the first time since Jack Whelbourne finished seventh at Sochi 2014 that a British man has made an Olympic short track final.

It has been some week, some month and a some Olympiad for Treacy and the whole community of a sport that saw its funding summarily cut in 2018.

He has suffered a rash of injuries in recent years, recovering from a broken leg and ankle, twisted knee, damaged ligaments and hip surgery.

And Treacy contracted Covid in mid-January on a training camp in Salt Lake City, leaving him waiting on last-minute negative tests to even reach his second Games.
“There have been so many periods where I’m thinking someone up there is trying to tell me that this sport isn’t for me, it’s not made for me,” said Treacy.

“But I love this sport, this is what I want to do. When I’m healthy, there have been times I’ve put out some pretty good performances and I’m thinking I can do something.

“That keeps on driving you. To get to an Olympic final, and be a finalist, it makes it worth it.”

British short track speed skating has been a hard luck story in recent years, dominated in narrative by three-time world champion Elise Christie’s Olympic nightmares.

“It’s been an excruciating time for everyone in the sport,” said Treacy.

“Hopefully some of the guys and girls at home are looking at what I did and thinking ‘why not?’ They’re looking at Elise and thinking they want to do it.

“Hopefully some of the kids are wondering whether they can come and do better than me.”

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