After a less than ideal Olympic campaign, speed skater Brendan Corey is gunning for redemption, knowing his future in the sport depends on it.
Corey returned to the Olympic stage in Milan Cortina in February, hoping to recreate the success Steven Bradbury had when he won gold in 2002.
After finishing the season ranked 18th in the world, the 29-year-old was tipped as a potential dark horse, but he fell short of his expectations as his best result came in the 1500m, where he made the semi-finals.
Now, Corey is putting the Olympics behind him and focusing on ending his year with a medal when he competes in the Short Track Speed Skating World Championships beginning on Saturday (AEDT) in Canada.
"I see this World Championships as redemption," he told AAP.
"I would say my results at the Olympics were not quite what I had hoped for, but the one event doesn't define me as an athlete.
"In the last three World Championships, I've been in the final for the 1500m. I'm hoping to keep that streak going."
Corey doesn't know whether this will be his last rodeo on the ice, as he has competed in two Olympics and is readying for his fifth Worlds appearance.
The 29-year-old says he'll see how he's feeling after the competition before making a decision.
"The results will have some factor, but I don't think it's the main deciding factor," Corey said.
"It'll be based on how I'm feeling, my headspace and my body.
"I still have the passion and drive for skating right now, so we'll see what happens."
Corey will be looking to earn a second Worlds medal, having won bronze in the 1500m in 2024.
He'll be boosted by skating on the ice rink he grew up on as the Canadian local trained in Montreal before switching allegiance to Australia in 2019.
"The ice rink in Montreal is familiar to me, so I always feel comfortable on it," he said.
"I trained at that ice rink for about five years when I was going up through the ranks, and we've had quite a few competitions over the past three seasons."
Corey will compete in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m.
