At the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy, Niall Treacy will be Team GB's sole representative in short track speed skating. The 25-year-old is motivated to enhance the sport's profile back home. He hopes to inspire future generations of skaters and secure more support for the discipline, which has faced funding challenges in recent years.

Treacy's campaign begins in the 1,000m event. He's aiming for a strong performance to attract more investment from UK Sport, which previously slashed funding. The athlete's success could mean more resources for the sport, enabling more skaters to focus on training full-time. He has been training with the Dutch national team to prepare.

His journey includes a silver medal at the 2024 European Championships. The team's head coach acknowledged the difficulty of sending only one skater. The team's relay team has qualified for the World Championships in March, offering another chance for success.

The decline in funding for short track skating has been a concern. The aim is to build on Treacy's individual success to revitalize the sport. A medal finish would be a massive boost. This will hopefully lead to more support and staff, allowing skaters to focus solely on skating.