Matt Stutzman, who is known as the “Armless Archer,” has become famous for his amazing feats and creative approach to shooting. The most recent Paralympic Games were held in Paris. Stutzman won gold in the Para Archery men’s individual compound open event.
He also scored an amazing 149 points in the knockout rounds, which was a new Paralympic record. These Olympians are great to watch, and you can watch re-runs of many of their sports events on Peacock or YouTube.com.
Where is Matt from?
Stutzman lives in a rural area of Iowa with his family and has created a unique training plan to reflect the high-stakes setting of competition. In his training, he does things like skydiving and racing that are meant to give him a rush of energy. He makes a fake competition setting by flipping cards with his foot to show the scores of his opponents. This is one of his more unusual ways.
As part of another dramatic exercise, he set up an obstacle course with his race car, his house, and his silver medal from the 2012 Paralympics. He had to shoot an arrow through these things to get to the goal.
How did he get his start?
The story of how Stutzman became a Paralympic winner is just as interesting as the way he trains. He was adopted by a farmer family in Fairfield, Iowa, and was born without arms. As a child, he watched his father and brother hunt with arrows. Even though Stutzman didn’t start shooting until he was in his late 20s, in 2008, he learned how to shoot with his feet.
A para-archer who didn’t use their fingers, wrists, or triceps was the first person to compete in compound open events. Since his first Paralympics in 2012, Stutzman has not only had a lot of success, but he has also encouraged other para-archers who are facing similar problems to follow their dreams.