Olympics: Belfast archer Huston plotting double gold success for Team GB in Tokyo

Belfast archer Patrick Huston says he hopes to secure a double gold medal at the Olympics after he was named on Team GB for the Tokyo Games.

It will be Huston's second Olympic appearance having competed at Rio 2016.

Huston was knocked out in the last-32 stage of the men's individual archery event in 2016, but believes he can go the distance this time around.

"Pretty achievable," said Huston when asked about the likelihood of him winning two gold medals.

"I've done multiple double gold medals at international events before, I've taken an individual and mixed team world title at my first-ever World Youth Championships, and I've done it a world ranking event as well."

Huston, who said he "consistently" shot the highest standard of his career in the Olympic trials, added: "Frankly, we're a team sport nowadays in archery. We're approaching things as a team structure and that's something I absolutely love."

While Huston's Olympic debut ultimately ended in disappointment with defeat by Korea's Ku Bonchan, the Belfast man impressed during his victory over Dutchman Rick van der Ven, who was ranked seventh in the world at the time.

And as he gears up for a medal bid in Tokyo, Huston has explained how music has come to play a key role in his training, listening to deep house and techno songs as a way to focus his mind.

Huston now favours songs with a more progressive build-up after his hard-hitting Rio playlist left him with a "pile of adrenaline".

"Probably the most profound lesson I learned was how powerful the effects of music can be," explained the 25-year-old, who has filled his playlists with the likes of Feel My Bicep, Carl Cox and Nina Kraviz.

Huston hopes his increased physicality will give him an extra edge on the competition field in Tokyo

"The main thing I'm going to be focusing on music-wise is reducing the BPM and the intensity. I'm not trying to amp myself up, I just want to create a nice consistency in my thought processes and my brainwaves.

"Once I've got myself into the right place mentally at the start of my warm-up, I then use that while shooting to basically turn myself into a robot.

"Archery is the art of repetition and you want to be drilling the middle every time."

Huston says he loves the "thrill and internal sensations" of competing, but believes an increased emphasis on his physical fitness in recent times will give him an "extra edge" in Rio.

"I've totally changed who I am physically and how my body functions," added Huston, who battled through a bout of Covid-19 in January.

"I'm seeing improvements in my mobility, in my movement patterns and all of this just gives me an extra edge.

"I already had the competitive edge during all the success I've had in my career, but now I've got that ability with a better shot than I've ever had before and all of this increased physicality."