Patrick Huston hungry for Tokyo success after counting calories

The Telford-based ace kicks off his Olympic campaign today in a three-strong men’s archery team with Games debutants Tom Hall, 30, and James Woodgate, 19.

Huston, 25, fell to a last 32 defeat in the men’s individual event at Rio 2016 but is hell bent on gunning for double gold – in the individual and team events – in Japan this summer. And he’s not taking the physical challenges of his opponents lightly, racking up the calorie count in Shropshire thanks to the mouth-watering menu served up by his fiancé Jelly – a chef at Restaurant 1840 in Telford.

Meat-saturated soups, iron-fuelled salads and an infinite supply of chicken dominates the agenda and Huston hopes being the ‘best-fed’ athlete in Tokyo can catapult him to glory.

Huston, one of over 1,000 athletes supported by UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, said: “Just after the selection shoot, we had about a five or six week period before the start of the competition season to really start putting on more meat.

“I’m bigger than I’ve ever been – I get fed so well by Jelly, I’m constantly getting bigger and I’m bigger than I’ve ever been. Archery is a skill-based sport but once you’ve got that skill, the more meat you’ve got on you the better.

“Whenever I come home for dinner I’m basically force fed – Jelly piles it high on a big dinner plate and encourages me to eat it. I end up finishing off her plate as well. Archery really is a very high physical load sport. It’s not an absolute engine sport like rowing – but I’m pulling 25kg about 300 or 400 times a day, which works out as an immense tonnage going through your body.

“Having the right stuff in there to fuel and repair that really does take you to that next level. If you can get all of the right stuff into your body it makes a big, big difference – it means that I’m fit, healthy and recovering well. The quality and quantity of the food I get means I’ll be one of the best-fed athletes in Tokyo.”

Huston’s Tokyo mission is powered by UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme that allows him to train full-time, access the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical support.

He finished ranked 38th in Rio five years ago but after winning bronze in the mixed team recurve event at the 2017 World Championships, is no stranger to delivering on the biggest stage.

Currently ranked No.52 in the world, the Northern Irish ace finished fourth at a recent World Cup event in Paris and has travelled to Tokyo with a spring in his step.

Archery is one of the Games’ curtain-raising sports on Friday and traditionalist Huston, who succumbed in the bronze medal match against Federico Musolesi in the French capital, is relishing the prospect of getting Team GB off to a flyer.

“We start before everybody else, which I love,” added Huston, who is hoping 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.

“Archery is a weapon of old and they would be the first into battle. They were there launching arrows before the javelins went in or the sword fighting went on. I love the fact that archery is the first – it’s a nice little element.

“We’ve got a massive chance on the men’s and women’s team and we’ve got tremendous depth. I have no doubts the standard will be great – and I want to go for double gold.”

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