Brendan's Story
Fast Facts
Sport: Short Track Skating
Event: Men’s 500m, Men’s 1000m
Olympic History: Beijing 2022
Highlights: Bronze medal in world championship 2024 in 1500m
Coach: Richard Nizielski
Year Born: 1997
Born: New Brunswick, Canada
About Brendan
Canadian-born and Australian-raised on the ice, Brendan Corey grew up in Fredericton, New Brunswick in Canada, where he first laced up skates at eight. Drawn to the feeling of speed more than pucks, he moved from hockey to short track and never looked back. Embracing his Australian heritage through his mother and grandparents, he pursued a path to represent Australia at the highest level.
A pivotal moment came in 2019 when a concussion halted his Canadian pathway and prompted a rethink. After connecting with Australian Ice Racing officials, he joined the Australian program, attended a training camp in early 2020, and relocated in 2021. With domestic ice time limited during the pandemic, the squad based itself in Salt Lake City alongside the United States team. Corey completed a Bachelor of Commerce (supply chain and operations) along the way, while working with national coaches including Richard Nizielski (Richard being part of the relay team that ultimately won Australia’s first Winter Olympic medal).
Momentum built quickly. In November 2021 he made his first World Cup A‑final, finishing fifth over 1000 metres in Dordrecht Netherlands, a landmark result for an Australian male in the distance.
Beijing 2022 was the realisation of a childhood ambition. In the 1000 metres, Corey set an Australian record of 1:23.908 in his heat to advance directly to the quarter‑finals. His campaign ended in a dramatic last‑corner crash in the quarter‑finals; he also skated a personal best of 41.097 in the 500 metres and finished 15th overall in the 1000 metres.
Two seasons later he made history. At the 2024 International Skating Union World Short Track Championships in Rotterdam Netherlands, Corey won bronze in the 1500 metres, Australia’s first individual medal at the event in more than four decades. He finished behind China’s Sun Long and the Netherlands’ Jens van ’t Wout after a post‑race penalty reshaped the podium.
Corey’s 2024–25 campaign underlined his rise in the middle distances. In December 2024 he posted multiple top‑25 results in Seoul. In February 2025 he reached the 1500‑metre B‑final in Tilburg to place ninth, then advanced to the B‑final again at the Milan World Cup test event, finishing 10th on the day and concluding the World Cup season ranked 10th in the 1500‑metre distance.
Opening the 2025–26 Olympic season in Montréal, Corey reached the B‑final in the first of two World Tour events to place 11th overall in the 1500 metres, then made the semi‑finals in the second meet. After the twin rounds he sat 15th in the 1000 metres, 17th in the 1500 metres and 21st overall.
Through the early years of his Australian career Corey built a reputation for resilience and work ethic, qualities forged in part by being told often as a junior that he was “not good enough”, a challenge he credits with making him mentally and physically stronger. Now based in Melbourne, when in Australia, he continues to represent Australian Ice Racing in the 500, 1000 and 1500 metres. With his 2024 World Championship bronze as a touchstone, Corey’s focus is clear: keep pushing Australian short track back onto the world stage on the road to Milano‑Cortina.
Read More
