Tokyo 2020: Patrick Huston wary of James Woodgate's youthful promise ahead of Olympic Games tilt
BySportsbeat
Updated 16/05/2021 at 22:07 GMT
Patrick Huston, 25, is relishing a crack at a second Olympic Games and says hotshot debutant James Woodgate, 18, is boosting the team's prospects. Belfast ace Huston competed in Rio five years ago and has been one of three men's archers officially selected for the British squad set to descend on Japan.
Patrick Huston, archery team announcement for Team GB for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Lilleshall National Sports Centre on April 14, 2021
Image credit: Getty Images
Patrick Huston believes Olympic debutant James Woodgate's searing archery rise is catapulting Team GB's Tokyo prospects to new heights.
Belfast ace Huston competed in Rio five years ago and has been one of three men's archers officially selected for the British squad set to descend on Japan.
The 2017 World Championship medallist will be joined by Olympic debutants Woodgate, 18, and Tom Hall, 30, who have propelled themselves into contention following successful years on the Archery GB circuit.
The Games' one-year postponement was a shot in the arm to Woodgate's ambitions and experienced Huston, who lost in the last 32 in Rio, says the shooting prodigy is raising the bar.
The 25-year-old, one of over 1,100 National Lottery-funded elite athletes on UK Sport's World Class Programme, said: "I've been on a pretty good level for quite a good time now, but Tom and I both like competition.
"Without having competition all the time, it's hard to get the best out of each other. Both of us know we've got that when we need it.
"We used to go through the motions a bit in practice, but James offers a completely different take on things.
"He trains at the standard he's able to compete at. He trains at a very, very high level and he's one of the best practisers I've ever seen.
"I've hardly ever seen anybody consistently fill up the middle of the target quite as often as our new team-mate James does.
"I thought it was all well and good, and I'd seen people practice well before, but to be alongside it and then see him do exactly the same in tournaments [was amazing].
"That really drags the standard up - I know James is going to be putting up pretty much world-class scores, and that means we'll need to be the same because I don't want to be 20 points adrift."
UK Sport's National Lottery-funded World Class Programme has powered Huston's career and allows him to train full time, access the world's best coaches and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical support.
Huston was a lone archery raider for Team GB in Brazil five years ago but will now spearhead a three-pronged men's attack on Japan this summer.
The Northern Irish star scooped a World Championship bronze medal in 2017 and followed that up by winning mixed team recurve silver at the 2019 European Games.
Archery GB have been on an upwards trajectory since 2016 and Huston, who lives and trains in Lilleshall, believes there's never been a tougher time to excel with a bow in hand.
Huston, who is looking to add to the 864 Olympic and Paralympic medals won by Great Britain and Northern Ireland athletes since the advent of National Lottery funding in 1997, added: "Getting on my second Olympics team makes me very proud.
"Back in 2016, qualifying for the Olympics was an incredibly high-pressure scenario but it was only one day [we had to do it].
"This year, we've had the highest standard of performance we've ever had in Great Britain, by quite a noticeable margin.
"Making this Olympics has been even more of an achievement than making the last one.
"We've got a fantastic standard on both the men's and women's sides, and it's very exciting as we look towards winning Olympic medals."
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