Tom Hall is no stranger to the Olympic Games; he was part of the men’s team who finished 5th in Tokyo and is set to head to Paris this summer as part of a full team for Team GB. Get to know the 33-year-old Doctor of Chemistry who is known as Dr Ten by his teammates.
How did you get started in archery?
"I actually picked it up by accident at university, I'd been looking to try shooting again after doing that when I was younger in the air cadets and archery was next to the shooting stand at our sports fair. I had no thoughts about the Olympics to start with, but things escalated quickly as I picked up the sport and enjoyed being competitive. After the first 6 years of working through club, student and national competitions, I started to realise that bigger things could open up for me."
How do you prepare for a big event like the Olympics?
"I have a written out checklist of things to make sure I have with me to make sure I don't miss anything. There's a big asterisk next to "Water Bottle" that says FULL, you can guess how I learned to add that one on there!"
Could you describe what a typical pre-competition evening meal looks like for you?
"If I'm feeling a bit nervy then I go for plainer food with a lot of carbs, something like spaghetti or rice is easier for me to digest and does the job. My diet isn't too restrictive, but I like cooking at home and make a mean rendang curry or fried rice."
What's been the most memorable moment in your career so far?
"Picking my teammate Alex Wise up from the floor after I shot the final arrow to seal qualifying the team for Paris 2024. It's very recent but I think our focus, determination, and absolute trust in each other that day, will stay with me for a very long time."
Tom Hall's most memorable moment was when the men's team won their Paris quota spot
Can you describe a typical day in your training schedule as you train in ambition for the Olympics?
"A typical training day at Lilleshall starts with me getting breakfast at the accommodation, before coming down to the range to shoot 2-3 hours in the morning. Often we do some scoring or drills in this session, and I'll often shoot about 100 to 150 arrows. I'll have lunch that I've prepped for the week from home, then start another training session in the afternoon. This time often doing some more physical drills like shooting a heavier weight bow or incorporating balance exercises, this can take another 2-3 hours for another 80-120 arrows. Then it’s over to the gym for a strength training or cardio session, we do quite a lot of full body training as archery is actually quite demanding on the whole body, not just the arms and shoulders! Often at some point I've squeezed in a meeting with one of our psychologists, physios or performance lifestyle advisers during the day as well. After dinner I often chill out in my room, but sometimes I'll come back down to the performance centre for a few extra arrows in the evening, these are often more relaxed sessions by myself or with a few other athletes, and are best enjoyed with some decent tunes blaring on the speaker!"
Who has been your biggest supporter throughout your journey?
"My wife Emma, who shoots herself for the Irish team. We've been together since before I started archery, but she's always believed in me at every single stage. In the last selection trials for this year’s team, I was struggling to be consistent and threatening to fall behind, but it was Emma who gave me the talk I needed to hear halfway through. She told me I had to believe in myself, because even though plenty of others did, it was what I thought that mattered right now."
How do you stay motivated during tough times or setbacks in your training?
"To be honest at this point I've had enough of them that half of the time I just have to remember I've come through everything else before and I probably will again! But there are things that help, I find trying to keep focused on what I can control versus what I can't makes a big difference."
What advice would you give to young athletes who aspire to compete in the Olympics one day?
"Focus on being the absolute best you can be first. Then things like the Olympics will take care of themselves."
If you could only listen to one song to get pumped up before a competition, what would it be?
"That's tough, I've got quite a few! But to get the job done in one track, I'd have to go with No respect by The Qemists."
What difference has having a Performance Archery Centre made to your training?
"It's an enormous improvement. Being able to access the indoor range at any time has made it so much easier to make sure my bow is set up right, to check that my shot process is working well if we've been training out in bad weather, or just to get a quick extra session done in the evening. And having an outdoor range with proper permanent facilities behind it makes it so much easier to use for regular training. It’s also brought all the staff and athletes closer together, so I can see the physios and psychologists much more often instead of them having to split themselves between us and the Paralympic program every day."
Follow Tom and the other GB archers by viewing the Paris 2024 competition schedule and watching the Olympic Games on the BBC and Eurosport.
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