Huston giving back to archery's roots ahead of Tokyo push

Northern Irish archer Huston, who lives in Telford alongside teammates Conor Hall and Ryan Holden, was Team GB’s lone raider in the sport at the Olympic Games in 2016 as he succumbed to a last 32 defeat in the men’s individual recurve.

But while the 2017 World Championship bronze medallist is familiar with the idea of going it alone, he also scooped silver at the 2019 European Games after a thrilling run to the final alongside Naomi Folkard in Minsk.

Huston thinks deeply about his sport and has relished the chance to offer advice to youngsters about how to hit the target.

"I’ve been doing a lot of videos for people to follow along with online, which share my knowledge about the sport and give people activities to follow along," said the 24-year-old, one of more than 1,100 athletes on UK Sport’s World Class Programme, funded by The National Lottery.

"Almost every video I did was me talking about a technical element of the sport, because archery is an incredibly technical sport and I wanted people to be able to follow along.

"You get a lot less out of the technical side if you just follow it academically, so I was doing the videos daily and getting a lot of engagement.

"I’ve had lots of people thanking me and saying they’ve been doing fantastically well because of the exercises I’ve been demonstrating.

"It’s fantastic to know that I’m able to help people - I love working with people and seeing them improve as I’m genuinely so enthusiastic and passionate about the sport.

"If people can get those technical things that will help them hit the middle more, they’re going to be more enthusiastic and motivated, and that’s just great for everyone."

Huston’s journey to Rio in 2016 was facilitated by the support of The National Lottery, whose funding enables him and fellow archers to access UK Sport’s World Class Programme.

The Belfast-born archer was thrown into the deep end on his own four years ago but is targeting a collective raid on Tokyo next year, with Team GB securing a full quota of qualification spots – three each in the men and women’s categories – for the Games.

Huston is currently ranked world No. 84 in his individual recurve division and will be a key protagonist in his team’s charge, as he vies to add to the 864 Olympic and Paralympic medals powered by National Lottery funding since 1997.

And after winning an Archery GB-organised Zoom competition during lockdown, Huston reckons both he and his teammates will be on pinpoint precision when the Games in Japan come calling.

"When I came out of Rio, I didn’t have the best experience and it was, in places, lonely," he added.

"So, I’m very, very proud to be part of a team that has qualified a full men and women’s team for Tokyo.

"The level of archery in our country means we have very good chances, and I’d expect us to be coming home with a minimum of one medal, while I’ll be aiming for some success myself.

"I’d also just say a massive thank you to everybody who plays The National Lottery – by buying a ticket, it makes you a massive part of our success on the international stage."

No one does more to support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes than National Lottery players, who raise around £30 million each week for good causes. Discover the positive impact playing The National Lottery has at www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/stories/track-to-tokyo and #TNLAthletes #TracktoTokyo

No one does more to support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes than National Lottery players, who raise around £30 million each week for good causes. Discover the positive impact playing The National Lottery has at #TNLAthletes #TracktoTokyo

Sportsbeat 2020