They were also the two archers that won Britain its spots to the Olympics.
Patrick collected a men’s place at the European Archery Championships, on home soil, in Nottingham, UK. He finished third in the continental qualifying tournament for Europe. There was three places available in that event.
The women’s invitation was added, by Naomi, at the final qualifying tournament run as part of the third stage of the 2016 Hyundai Archery World Cup in Antalya, Turkey. Folkard finished second, in a competition that had six individual spots to the Games up for grabs.
“It feels great to be going to my fourth Games,” said Naomi. “I am excited but I feel I still have a lot of work to do. I have a small injury and I’m in the process of having tests done for it, so I don’t know how it will be treated and therefore I can’t write a training plan.”
“That is a little stressful for me, but in a few days it will be sorted and I will be able to focus on my best preparation for the Games.”
Great Britain was the host nation for the 2012 Olympics and received a full quota.
For Rio, British athletes had to qualify – and having not qualified any places at the initial opportunity at the World Archery Championships in Copenhagen in 2015, the odds of sending athletes was decreasing with each tournament.
“Of course, I knew it was a possibility that we would have no women go to Rio, but to win any spots we could not dwell on this. We knew as a team that if we worked together, supported each other and fought our hardest for every point then we would stand a good chance of getting an individual or even a team to the Games,” said Folkard.
The British women’s team were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the team qualifying tournament in Antalya, upset by 16th-ranked Estonia, after defeating Spain in the first round. Naomi qualified the individual place the following day.
“I know I’m the lucky one that made it, but it is a result of the whole team’s efforts, including staff, compounds and my recurve team,” she added.
Naomi Folkard, 32, will compete at her fourth Olympics in Rio. She previously participated at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012. Her highest finish at a Games was 11th in 2004, and she finished fourth as part of a Great Britain women’s team in 2008. She is a two-time silver medallist at European Archery Championships and the reigning World Games Champion in field archery.
Patrick Huston, 20, will make his Games debut in 2016. He was World Archery Youth Champion in the cadet division in 2013, in both the individual and mixed team competitions, and finished third at the 2016 European Archery Championships as a senior. He holds the 36-arrow world record at 70 metres with 348 out of a possible 360.
Bryony Pitman and three-time Olympian Larry Godfrey were named as alternates.
Archery GB also recently announced the British Paralympic team for Rio.
