If Paris 2024 is to be Matt Stutzman’s fourth and final Games, then he walks away not merely as the first-ever armless archer to win Paralympic gold, but as an athlete who paved the way for others to follow.
Born without arms on December 10, 1982 in Kansas City, Kans., Stutzman’s birth parents put him up for adoption, and in January of 1984 he was taken in by Leon and Jean when aged just 13 months.
Leon and Jean Stutzman’s mantra was ‘impossible is a state of mind’. His new parents refused to treat him any differently to their other children, which instilled a sense of determination in the young Stutzman. If he wanted to do something, whether it was tying his shoelace, writing, eating, or playing basketball, then he would have to figure out a way.
Remarkably, Stutzman stumbled upon archery at the age of 28, while at home looking after his children and struggling to figure out how he could help provide for his family. Before long he was winning silver at the London Paralympics in 2012 and the sport has never been the same since.
For Stutzman, the Paris Games were what he labeled the Memory Games, an opportunity to compete in front of his fiancée Jessica and their five boys! The events of Sunday, September 1 will linger for some considerable time in the minds of many. The legacy left behind by Stutzman will last a lot longer.
“You can take away all my medals and I wouldn’t care,” Stutzman said. “Because that (his legacy) would be my medal.
“Do you know how many armless archers are here shooting and feeling what I felt when I first started shooting? It’s not about winning the medals, it’s about the fact that they’re competing against people, they’re winning.
“These armless archers are feeling what I felt a long time ago. They’re feeling the joy and the excitement and the passion of being able to compete on the world’s greatest stage and win, against people with arms.”
When talking about his Games experience, Stutzman the archer was all smiles, laughing out loud as he recalled the almost unbelievable path he took to finally land the gold medal. When asked about the legacy piece of his career, Stutzman the man became a little emotional.
“When I got into archery, it was to feed my family,” began Stutzman. “Now it’s about changing the world.”
Stutzman qualified 19th after the ranking round in Paris. Equipment issues in the first half hampered his efforts. That meant a 1/16 match against Victor Sardina Viveros (MEX) and the first time in Paralympic history that two armless archers had competed against one another.
With victory by 142-136, Stutzman marched into the 1/8 round of the compound men open, with matches resuming 48 hours later, but not before a meet and greet with Hollywood actor Jackie Chan. The action man was also inspired by Stutzman!
What followed on that Sunday, in the shadow of Les Invalides and against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, will be played over and over. It will form highlight reels for future Paralympic Games. Matt Stutzman, an archer born without arms, defeated all before him to claim the ultimate prize.
His first match on that Sunday afternoon was against Jere Forsberg of Finland, the man who had denied him gold at his first Paralympic Games, in London 12 years earlier.
Level at 141 apiece after their 15 arrows, the rivals went to a one arrow shootoff. Forsberg went first and landed an X. A smile spread across his face. He knew the pressure was all on Stutzman. The American, drawing back the bow with his toes, missed dead center by around two millimeters.
The crowd erupted, and so too did Stutzman. He leapt from his chair, the near impossible made possible, and the American was into the quarterfinals where a 143-142 win over Nathan MacQueen (GBR) pitted him against the first of two Chinese archers, He Zihao, the reigning champion from the Tokyo Games.
Another shootoff was required, with the two archers equaling the Paralympic record of 148. Stutzman went one better in the gold medal match, firing 149 against Ai Xinliang. Ai had earlier defeated Piotr van Montagu (BEL), another armless archer (above).
“It was my plan to just enjoy the moment,” he said. “I told my family, ‘hey, if I don’t do well, it is what it is’ but I’m still going to go out there and enjoy the fact that I get to shoot in Paris.”
Now while that dream-like run to gold placed Stutzman in the spotlight, his place in the sport’s history books was already assured and his legacy cemented, highlighted by the 17-year-old armless archer from India, rising star Sheetal Devi.
Devi took bronze in Paris. She only took up the sport two years ago, shortly after seeing a bow and arrow for the first time. In an interview with the BBC, the teenager from India said that during those early times and when things were getting tough, she would draw on the inspiration from watching Stutzman not only compete without arms, but succeed.
Stutzman was a silver medalist at the London Games in 2012 and a world champion in Dubai in 2022.
“You’re going to see a flood of armless archers because armless archers sell a dream,” Stutzman explained. “It’s not just about winning but about being able to say that I’m good at something. You can’t take that away from them and nobody can tell them they can’t do that.”
Stutzman's first question when embarking on his archery journey was 'how does a person without arms shoot a bow?'. The world wide web had nothing for him. He was the first but he has made sure he will most definitely not be the last, though the 2024 Paralympic champion is 99 per cent certain that these Games marked the end of this particular road.
“How can I top that? Winning gold in Paris, in front of my family,” he said.
But he did suggest when pushed that there remains a one per cent itch which may need scratching by the time the Games move to LA in 2028.
Whether Matt Stutzman chooses to scratch that itch in four years’ time or opts to watch from the stands, he has proved that not only can you defy expectations but – in paving the way for others and altering how millions view those with a disability – he has indeed changed the world.
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