Winter Olympics 2026: What went wrong with British short track speed skating?

Eight years later, the latest allocation of funding for the sport in the UK was made at just under £2 million in total for short track speed skating, figure skating and long track speed skating.

So the short track falls into the trap of the situation that many Olympic sports in Britain face – they need to perform at the Games to get more funding, but without the funding they struggle to succeed.

Asked about the work being done to reform the short track, British Olympic Association (BOA) president Catherine Grainger told BBC Sport: “As much potential as we have in this team, there is more that is untapped.

“It’s not a sport we have a legacy in, and this opens the door – we need to learn from other countries where we can.”

Add to that the fact that there are few sports in the world more chaotic and unpredictable than short track.

Christie was Britain’s most famous speed skater a decade ago when she won three gold medals at the 2017 world championships, but a series of accidents and disqualifications ruined her Olympic dreams in 2014 and 2018.

This year, Tracy’s luck also ran out. Take the 1000m final – this event usually has six runners, but in Milan there were nine because three athletes advanced to the medal race after being illegally impeded in the semi-finals.

Would Tracy, who was running third when he collided with Leo, have won a medal if there had been fewer men on the track? Ultimately, assumptions don’t put cash in the bank.

Tracey couldn’t hide his funding frustrations when he spoke to the BBC after that final.

“If only we had more support during the Olympics,” he said. “In the UK we don’t even have an ice center safe enough for competitions.

“In the UK, we have to look at ourselves and see that we need a facility where we can train at the highest level, rather than having to go to other countries.”

Tracy is right that there is no place in Britain that could host an international short track event, because there are no soft-board rinks required around the border to protect racers when accidents occur.