A Team GB star has spoken out after being controversially disqualified from his event at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Niall Treacy qualified for the 1500-metre final in short-track speed skating on Saturday, having won his semi-final.
The 25-year-old, who is competing at his first Olympics, was looking to add Team GB's second medal of the Games after Matt Weston won gold in the men's skeleton.
Treacy maintained his position in the midfield out of nine runners during the opening laps, before making a surge up the front of the pack.
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As the race entered its closing stages, Treacy was attempting to jostle for position alongside the other skaters before he and Chinese skater Sun Long made contact and hit the outside wall.
Video replays appeared to show that Sun had pushed Treacy in the back, causing the Team GB star to lose his balance and fall.
Treacy got back up and unofficially crossed the line in sixth, pending video review.
But the course officials decided to penalise him for the incident, dropping from sixth to ninth and last.
Viewers questioned why Treacy, and not Sun, was penalised, given that the Chinese skater appeared to initiate contact.
However, officials deemed that Treacy had made an illegal lane change and was therefore to blame for the crash.
The Solihull-born star is the only short-track speed skater competing for Team GB at Milano-Cortina, compared to three athletes in 2022, with The Independent reporting severe funding cuts as the reason.
Treacy still has one event to go in his Olympic program, as he will compete in the 500-metre short-track competition next Thursday.
He also entered the 1000-metre competition but failed to progress beyond the heats after a collision with Canada's Steven Dubois.
Speaking after the race, Treacy said he felt 'really proud' of his performances on Saturday, adding that he 'didn't see' Sun before their crash.
"It is not the result you want when you get to the final," he told Team GB's official website. "I was skating really well.
"I have only seen the review quickly. I didn't see the guy, I felt like I was still trying to build speed.
"I had two of the best guys in front of me, so I was trying to set up to cut to go back past them. I felt like I was in a really good position.
"It's not the result, but I think if you told me at the start of the day that I would be in an Olympic A final, I maybe wouldn't have believed you. I am really proud of what I did today."
Ryan Smart