Huston hoping to banish Rio 'loneliness' and shoot to team glory

The Telford-based star was Team GB's lone raider in the sport at the Olympic Games four years ago, reaching the last 32 before losing to South Korea's Ku Bon-chan in the individual recurve category.

Britain's archers have secured a full quota of qualification spots for the Games next year, however, with three men and three women descending on Tokyo bidding to scoop a first archery medal since Alison Williamson's bronze in 2004.

The world No. 84 has some difficult memories from Rio but is relishing the prospect of hitting the target as a team next summer.

"When I came out of Rio, I didn't have the best experience I would have liked so I said 'when I come back to the Olympics, I'm not coming back alone,'" the 24-year-old said.

"It was a lonely experience, so I'm very, very proud to be part of a British team that has qualified a full men and women's team for Tokyo, which is a fantastic achievement for us.

"The level of archery in our country means I think we have very good chances next year, and I'd expect us to be coming home with a minimum of one medal, while I'll be aiming for some individual success as well!

"I think you'll be seeing a lot of very high performances coming out of the British squad in the next year and a half, and I'll definitely be able to hit the ground running as I've been working hard through lockdown."

Huston recently won an Archery GB-organised Zoom tournament in lockdown, his maiden taste of competition since the coronavirus pandemic struck and the team's Olympic selection event in Lilleshall was suspended.

But the Belfast-born star has also been keeping busy in other ways during the lay-off, disseminating his expertise via a series of demonstration videos on social media.

Huston secured World Championship bronze in Mexico City in 2017 - in the mixed team recurve - followed by silver at the 2019 European Games alongside Naomi Folkard, so is no stranger to the big stage and what it takes to cut it at the highest level.

And given the sport's array of nuances and idiosyncrasies, he is acutely aware of the importance of making archery more accessible for the next generation.

"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," he added.

"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 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."

Sportsbeat 2020