PARIS, France – When Eric Bennett and Jordan White stride to the line in Paris on Wednesday morning, they will do so knowing they have their most passionate supporters in the crowd, family.
Bennett has competed at four previous Paralympic Games. His wife, Rachel, has been at two of them. This year though, for the first time, the 50-year-old high school teacher from Arizona will have his two children in the stands, Logan and Natalie.
Neither Logan nor Natalie had ever left the United States, until arriving in Paris on Monday. That said, Rachel was pregnant with Natalie when Eric took his first shot at Paralympic success in Beijing, 2008.
To give that a little perspective, Natalie was a few months from being born when dad made his Paralympic Games debut, as was Jordan White, who is Bennett’s teammate in the recurve men open division. White does not turn 16 until the end of November.
White will have mom Amy and dad Rick in attendance, as well as his younger brother Parker and older sister Kinsey. Amy has been alongside Jordan since the team arrived in Paris. White has already made history. When he fired his first arrow in last week’s ranking round, the Texas teenager became the youngest archer to represent the USA at the Paralympic Games.
Success in isolation is just that. The moment and memories are magical but made all the more special when shared with loved ones, which is why there has been such an emphasis by USA archers in celebrating this experience with their nearest and dearest.
KJ Polish has his mom, Christine, with him here in Paris – his harshest critic yet fiercest supporter. Tracy Otto shares the line with her now fiancé, Rick Riessle. Matt Stutzman turned and beamed at his family in the stands the moment gold was confirmed on Sunday, while Jason Tabansky had his greatest cheerleader alongside him in wife, Courtney.
Archery is an individual sport for the most part but for Eric Bennett and Jordan White, like their teammates before them, knowing they have familiar faces in the crowd will mean their success will be that much sweeter. One of the tougher elements is the pair have had to wait six days, from their ranking round last Thursday to finally set foot inside the finals venue. They have been practicing most days, occasionally doing extra sessions, to make sure they are as prepared as they possibly can be.
Bennett will be the first match of the day when he steps into the arena to take on Suresh Selvathamby (MAS) in the 1/16 round. This is a fifth Paralympic Games for Bennett, who debuted in 2008, competing in the compound division. That year he was defeated by eventual gold medalist John Stubbs in the 1/16 round (GBR).
By London in 2012, Bennett had switched to recurve. He finished fourth, again losing to the archer who would go on to gain gold. The silver medalist ended Bennett’s hopes in Rio eight years ago, at the quarterfinals stage. And in Tokyo, it was also the silver medalist who beat Bennett, though that time at the 1/16 round.
Bennett’s opening opponent on Wednesday, Selvathamby, is appearing at his second Games. He went out in the 1/32 round three years ago in Tokyo, as did Lukasz Ciszek (POL), who meets White around two hours after Bennett’s match.
The five-time Paralympian and the Paralympic Games debutant will seek to add to the already record haul of two gold medals for the USA’s Paralympic archery team. Bennett will have his wife and children among the crowd, while White will have his parents and siblings. The recurve men open event on Wednesday will mark the end of the USA's involvement in the archery competition.
There is live coverage on NBC and Peacock for this family-friendly occasion.
Upcoming Schedule
* times in ET and subject to change
September 4
3:00am – Recurve men open 1/16 round: ERIC BENNETT vs. Suresh Selvathamby (MAS)
4:59am – Recurve men open 1/16 round: JORDAN WHITE vs. Lukasz Ciszek (POL)
You can keep up to date with all the drama and excitement from the Paralympic Games with the Paris 2024 Archery Pass. This mobile pass keeps you up to date with competition schedules, merchandise sales, gives you a chance to play USA Archery's online archery game On Target, and provides resources so anyone can connect with a local club to try archery. Don’t miss out, get your Paris 2024 Archery Pass today!
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