From suction cup arrows to GB colours: Teenage Newport archer targets Olympic dream

The 16-year-old from Newport took up the sport at an after-school club and has since risen through the ranks, honing his technique to the point where he now represents Great Britain.

When he is not at college, Lewis can often be found at the Performance Archery Centre in Lilleshall or with Audco Archers in Newport, continuing to refine his skills.

He has started the new year in fine form, claiming the Shropshire Junior Trophy at the Shropshire County Indoor Championships.

"It was an afterschool club I did where I started, we used the little plastic bows and the suction cup arrows," Lewis explained.

"I started other, took a beginners course for it and have done it ever since.

"There has been a lot of building up with technique, lots of competitions at different levels.

"But, last year I took part in the European Youth Cup in Slovenia for Great Britain.

"I really enjoyed it, it felt amazing to shoot for GB. I had shot for England three times before that, but to be selected to shoot for GB at an international competition felt really good.

"I am working my way up to the Olympics, slowly! Making it to the Olympics is where I want to go.

"I train pretty much every day. Weekends will be competitions, but apart from that I am training every day."

Last year marked Lewis' first taste of international competition, representing Great Britain at the European Youth Cup.

Soon after, he competed at Archery GB's Youth Festival, where he claimed an individual bronze medal.

He added: "It went really well. For the first international event that I did, it went well. I came ninth out of 65. It was not a bad start on the international stage.

"It has taken a lot time to get there. Technique has to be really good to maintain good and accurate shots. It just takes one little thing to be wrong and that could send it off quite a bit."

Lewis' drive and dedication has been evident too. His bow goes almost everywhere with him, even on holiday, where he has practiced outside a caravan.

Winter weather has not slowed him down either. During recent snowfall in Shropshire, he continued training in his garden, shooting into a boss - a heavy-duty, freestanding target.

"There is a boss in the garden facing towards the garage, I stand about two metres away," he explained. 

"I am stood right in front of it, doing technique work, building up strength and maintaining that strength to shoot."

After a strong start to the year, Lewis is now looking ahead to the next step in his development as he prepares to move up to Olympic distance.

Speaking about his success at the Shropshire County Indoor Championships, he added: "It went really well. During that week of practice it had been all about working on technique and competition. When I got there, I just felt ready to shoot. I was really happy with the scores."

"This is my final year of under-18s. This will be the final year at the distance I am at before I move up next year which will be the distance which they shoot at the Olympics."