Archer Steve Davies sets Paris 2024 as his target

By Oli Dickson Jefford, Sportsbeat

Tonbridge archery star Steve Davies is used to hitting his targets and there are none bigger than securing a place at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.

The 26-year-old has long marked himself as one of Britain’s best archers, with back-to-back second place finishes at the National Tour finals in 2021 and 2022 in the recurve classification.

Last year’s success was a significant confidence boost for Davies which has helped him believe that his lifelong dream could come true in the French capital next summer.

“That success meant quite a lot to me,” he said.

“Last year was quite a rough year with shooting. I was a bit up and down, and to come second at the final was quite nice for me - doing it two years in a row was special as well.

“My target and ambition for this year is to make the team for the Paris Olympics next year, and having the National Tour final again this year, hopefully this time I can go ahead and win it.

“Paris is not that far away now really. To go there, I wouldn’t really know how to put it into words. It would be fantastic. It’s something that I’ve been looking for the last nine or ten years with my shooting - it’s always something I’ve wanted to do.

“Ever since I got into archery, I always wanted to be an Olympian. Recently it’s felt more real, having moved up from down south to Shrewsbury and Telford and being closer to the GB Archery centre.”

Davies is now one of 50 athletes supported by a partnership between SportsAid and Pitching In, a multimillion-pound grassroots sport programme established by Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral.

Entain’s support could be crucial for the 26-year-old, easing his financial burden and allowing him more time on the range as he looks to fulfil his dream.

Davies added: “It’s going to be a big help to me this year.

“Being able to go to competitions and having that money there to support me, and allow me to do more practice, having more free time and being able to eat well, everything will come together really.”

Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, is proud to be championing the next generation of British sporting heroes by providing talented young athletes with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. Visit entaingroup.com to find out more