Scholar In Focus: Niall Treacy

Short Track Speed Skater and University of Nottingham Sport scholar Niall Treacy has started 2024 in magnificent fashion by claiming a top-three finish and medal at the European Short Track Championships, which resulted in him also receiving national recognition from TASS (Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme) who recently crowned him TASS athlete of the month for January. We were delighted to catch-up with Niall to discuss his recent success, but also find out more about his time at the University of Nottingham.

Great to meet you Niall – firstly, how did you get into your sport of Speed Track Ice Skating?

Well, I have two older brothers – Farrell and Ethan – who are also both into the sport. Farrell was the one to initially pick it up as he missed the school bus once, and could only get a lift home with a friend if he went to a skating training session that they had first. So he went and loved it which in turn saw Ethan take the sport up too. However, I was slightly too young at that point but once I turned 8 I was straight into it and have been skating ever since. We’ve always been a family who have been into sport although my parents weren’t particularly into skating, and I’ve also got another older brother Josh who’s never really been interested in it – which is slightly annoying as we could’ve competed in the relay as a four!

When you went skating for that first time – was it something that you enjoyed straight away?

Yes – I’d obviously spent a bit of time watching my brothers do it, and as soon as I started I realised that it was what I wanted to do as a sport. It was tough to begin with though as I’d only really had two ice skating lessons before I began on the track! I think the biggest thing that I love about the sport is the unpredictability of racing and how tactics can differ between athletes. I really enjoy watching the sport too at any level because I think it’s brilliant to see people on the edge racing each other.

Was there a certain point at which you began to realise you were performing at a high level and could take your talent further?

I think I started to feel that when we began to do really long lap sessions at my club – around 3,000m which is more than I’d do in an individual distance – and noticing that everyone else was really hurting whilst I was finding it okay. Being selected for the 2017 European Youth Olympic Festival was a big moment for me to realise I could compete internationally. At that point Farrell and Ethan had also made it into the national set-up so I could really see a pathway for me to go.

Has it helped to have brothers who are a little bit older who could pass on their experiences and learning?

It’s definitely helped. Certainly in the first few years that I went into the national team set-up because they had already experienced it. They were able to let me know that it’s not the end of the world if you don’t have great results in your first couple of races because they’d been through that too. They are also still the first people to message me about how I’m doing at events and I really appreciate their support. My parents have also been really supportive throughout - travelling across the country to help us participate in a sport that isn’t cheap, as well as ensuring that university was also always an option we’d consider.

Do you compete against your brothers very often?

Well Ethan - who was also a part of the sport scholarship programme at the University of Nottingham - has just retired so I won’t be able to race against him anymore. However, Farrell is still competing and he’ll be on the performance team for the second half of the year. We’re unlikely to race against each other at World Cups, but we could match-up in trials. It is strange racing against brother but because there’s so much going on during speed skating races – it’s just another person in the race at that point because you’re mainly focussing on your race and treat all other competitors the same.

How do you usually like to race when on the ice?

Tactics are huge in Short Track Speed Skating with differences across the three different distances that we do 500m, 1000m, and 1500m. In the 500m – it’s mainly a sprint so is a little bit less tactical with a focus on overtakes, however the 1500m can be very tactical. The first few laps are slower with people trying to figure others out and then you have skaters who like to be at the front to control the pace and also be out of danger, whereas you can have skaters who sit at the back and plan your overtake at the right time. Personally, I like to sit at the front and dictate the pace and limiting the danger from others.

How have you managed to combine your studies with your sport here at the University of Nottingham?

I’m really fortunate that we the National Ice Centre here in Nottingham which is where the national team train and there’s a good link between the national team and the university. Before I came to the University Of Nottingham I was able to use the High Performance Zone at David Ross Sports Village, so when I began my studies here I was already familiar with the support staff and surroundings. The university have also been really good in accommodating us and it’s been really enjoyable to get back into an academic setting. I think it’s really important for athletes to have a career path after sport so coming to university is something that’s always been in my plan.

I think one of the biggest surprises to me with my studies is that it’s really given me another focus outside of my sport. Before I would train twice a day, go home and then continue to think about speed skating. Now, I obviously have exams and coursework to think about too, but it has helped to create a nice balance between my training and competitions. It takes away some of the stress of my sport because it’s proven to me that it’s not the end of the world if something goes wrong.

I still train twice a day, six days a week so it can be difficult at times to balance the two aspects of studies and sport. One of the massive skills I’ve learnt over my time here is to be prepared and communicate with the relevant people to make sure that they are able to help you succeed. Thankfully that’s what my personal tutor and lifestyle advisor are there to do and they’ve definitely helped me.

What is it that you are studying in Nottingham and is that an area you see a career for yourself in?

So I’m studying Industrial Economics and the subject is something that I’ve always been interested in as I did economics at A-Level. In the four years that I was out of education, it was always an area that was still interesting to me so it was quite an easy decision to make when deciding on a course at university.

Alongside your training you are still also competing regularly – how have you been performing?

I recently competed at the European Championships in Gdansk, Poland where I came second in the 1000m which is my first international senior medial. To achieve a silver at the Europeans is pretty huge! These past two years have been a really good progression in my career and this year it’s felt like I was knocking on the door of finals, and then knocking of the door of medals. To finally achieve the medal has been fantastic to validate the hard work and consistency of my performances over the last few years. Now the goal is take the confidence from this and hopefully perform well at the World Championships and pick up a gold at some point.

You mention it briefly there – do you have any specific goals in the future?

Yes, so the World Championships are coming up at the end of this season so I’d like to place well there. Then after that, the big goal is the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. I competed in the 2022 Beijing Olympics but it wasn’t a hugely successful games for me so I’d definitely like to go better this time and compete in all three distances, with a focus on medalling in the 1000m or 1500m.

Everyone at University of Nottingham Sport congratulates Niall on his recent European Championship success, and for being crowned TASS Athlete of the Month for January 2024 due to his fantastic performances on the ice alongside his studies. We are looking forward to the many successes that we are sure are ahead for Niall, including the rest of his time here at the University of Nottingham as a sport scholar.

You can find out more about the Sport Scholarship programme at the University of Nottingham by visiting our dedicated web page.