Teen archer's Olympic debut fulfils life ambition

Archer Penny Healey, 19, says it feels amazing to be selected to compete for Team GB in Paris 2024

A 19-year-old archer says making her Olympic debut this summer in Paris will fulfil a life ambition.

Penny Healey, from Telford, Shropshire, is one of six chosen to represent Team GB in a squad that also features Staffordshire's Conor Hall.

The athlete claimed two golds in the European Games in Poland last June and was shortlisted the same year for BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.

Speaking about her selection, Healey said: "I think I'd always had the ambition from a young age, but I don’t think I ever had the self-belief until recently."

The Olympic squad consists of Megan Havers, Tom Hall, Bryony Pitman, Conor Hall, Penny Healey and Alex Wise

"I'm really looking forward to it," she added. "As it's my first games I think I'm just going to take it as it comes, shoot how I can and if I leave happy, I'm happy."

The team also features Olympic debutante Megan Havers and Bryony Pitman, 27, competing in her second games.

Conor Hall, from Northern Ireland, moved to Staffordshire to be closer to Lilleshall Performance Archery Centre

European Field Champion Conor Hall, 28, is from Northern Ireland but moved to the Midlands to be closer to an archery performance centre in Lilleshall, Shropshire.

He said practising with other top athletes has helped prepare him for his Olympic debut.

"We train with Paralympic champions every day and it just really helps push the sport on," he said. "The more people that are better it just makes everybody better."

Fellow squad member Tom Hall, 33, who took up the sport while at the University of Warwick, is looking forward to his second Olympics.

"With all the hype and everything that comes with an Olympics, it's still a competition," he said.

"If we do the same things that we've done to get ourselves here then we've got a great chance of performing well."

Alex Wise, also competing in his first games, completes the men's squad.

Jamila Bi from Crescent Archers hopes Birmingham youngsters will be inspired by the team's Olympics performance

The team was unveiled at Ackers Adventure in Small Heath, where the Olympians assisted with a session run by Birmingham-based Crescent Archers.

Crescent founder Jamila Bi said she hoped the games would inspire young athletes., adding: "It showcases at grassroots level what you can actually become, what is achievable."

The archery singles and team events take place in Paris from 25 July to 4 August.