LEADING PRINTING & MERCHANDISE COMPANY SPONSOR OLYMPIC HOPEFUL

Embello, one of the UK's leading printing and merchandise company has stepped up to sponsor teenage archery athlete Monty Orton as he bids to become a world class archer.

The 17-year-old, who lives with his family in Tamworth, is just one step away from being selected for TeamGB after being headhunted by Archery GB to join its high performance coaching programme. He’s competing in his first international event at the European Youth Cup in Bucharest this August.

Monty said: “This will be my first international competition, and my first time being selected to represent GB.  This trip is self-funded and my family are firmly behind me – however it’s an expensive sport.   Any sponsorship or support helps me along the way to becoming a successful international archer, and I very much appreciate everyone who has helped me get to this point.”

Embello has covered the cost of his branded jackets, t-shirts, printed materials and will continue to do so. 

MD Kyle Raffo said: “Giving back is an important ethic within our company. I was inspired by Monty and his absolute commitment to his sport and his determination to be the best he can be from a very young age. It is also a huge commitment in time and money for his family so we’re thrilled to be a small part of his success to date. We’ve no doubt that Monty is a future Olympian and we intend to help him get there.”

Monty first took on archery aged 13 following in the footsteps of his younger brother Paddy. Originally a keen footballer, Monty worked hard however did not have the natural talent required to reach a professional level, and then the team he played for disbanded. 

Rather disillusioned he joined his brother at archery and it quickly became apparent that this was his sport. He was 13 when he completed a beginner’s course. From 2016, he started competing in local and regional competitions clocking up many wins. He then took part in the weeklong AGB Youth Festival in 2019 and was approached by Archery GB to join their high performance academy. 

His mum Lynn said: “This was unusual. Many archers selected for the academy attend open days or talent days. However Monty was asked to join through his competition performance. Since that time he’s now moved into their ‘conversion’ group which means he’s just one step away from the formal TeamGB squad.”

In fact, several archery Olympians who train with Monty are taking part in Tokyo 2020 currently. He regularly competes with members of the Archery Recurve Men’s team Patrick Huston, Tom Hall and James Woodgate.  

Monty trains in his sport alongside taking a BTech Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sports & Exercise Science at Sutton Coldfield College. He’s also an active member of the Meriden Archery Club and has recently been accepted on to Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme, a programme which supports students to balance the demands of their studies and sports training needs.

Success at a young age is something which is familiar to sponsor Kyle Raffo of Embello. He set up Embello (previously known as Expand Digital) when he was just 16 years old and today his team work with brands including Twitter, Spotify, Morrisons and Dominos. To find out more about Embello visit www.embello.co.uk

*image shows Kyle Raffo, founder and MD of Embello and Monty Orton, a talented teenager archer who is competing in his first international competition in August 2021 and is tipped to be in the Olympic TeamGB in four years’ time.