Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!
Who Is Matt Stutzman, the Armless Archer Who Won Gold at the Paralympics?
The para archery pioneer, who also won silver at the 2012 London Games, is inspiring a new generation of archers at the Paris Games.
The journey Team USA’s para archery legend Matt Stutzman took to winning the gold at the Paris Paralympic Games was anything but straight as an arrow.
The 41-year-old outlasted Ai Xinliang of China, 149-147, in a tense final matchup for the individual compound bow competition, the closest anyone has ever come to a perfect 150 score in the event.
In the process, Stutzman became the first competitor without arms to win a gold medal in para archery in Paralympics history.
Stutzman, who previously notched a silver medal in the event during the 2012 London Games, earned top honors this time around with a tournament-long display of fortitude.
He started the elimination round with a strong win over Victor Sardina Viveros of Mexico in a historic, first-ever Paralympics matchup between two archers with no arms, according to NBCOlympics.com.
In the round of 16, the “Armless Archer,” as Stutzman is nicknamed, defeated Jere Forsberg of Finland, the former gold medalist who beat him in London 12 years earlier. Stutzman did it in epic fashion: Winning a one-arrow shoot-off with a perfect bullseye.
In the quarterfinals, Stutzman bested Nathan MacQueen of Great Britain by just one point, 143-142, and then followed that up a shoot-off win over China’s He Zihao, the defending gold medalist from the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Stutzman clinched the gold Sunday in front of a crowd of cheering fans that included his three sons.
“I had no expectations on my shooting to win a medal,” the single father told NBC after his win. “It was all about memories. So, to close out the best archery in the world with almost a perfect score when it mattered, then it set in.”
How did Matt Stutzman lose his arms?
Stutzman was born in Kansas City, Kansas, without arms, a congenital condition that reportedly led to his birth parents to give him up for adoption as an infant. Adopted by a farming family from Fairfield, Iowa, Stutzman says he grew up watching his father and brother hunt with a bow to put food on the table for the family.
Their example inspired a desire to learn archery, though he would not start training in earnest until he was an adult, beginning in 2008 with the technique that would eventually take him to the top of the sport.
How Does Matt Stutzman shoot his compound bow?
Stutzman has developed a technique that starts with using his toes to pick up an arrow and nock it. Then, he uses a harness attached to his shoulder to pull the bowstring back and hold it in place.
Finally, he leans back to cut that connection with his body, releasing the bow string and firing the arrow towards the target.
How did Matt Stutzman get his start in para archery?
At the time he started in para archery, Stutzman was a pioneer as the first person to compete without using fingers, wrists or triceps in the compound open bow event at the Paralympics. His silver medal in London, his first Paralympic Games, proved that he could hit the target as well as any other competitor.
After London, he became a superstar that transcended the sport. For a stretch of six years, Stutzman was the number-one-ranked para archer in the world.
In December 2015, Stutzman hit a target 310 yards away, setting the Guinness world record for the longest accurate shot made with a compound bow, besting an able-bodied archer who previously held the record.
"Archery changed my life," Stutzman told the Associated Press before the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. "I went from living off of Social Security, which was $600 a month, to now I don't need Social Security. I can take care of my kids. Now people know who I am. This is bigger than archery now."
But his hopes for a gold at the 2016 Rio Paralympics ended in disappointment after an equipment malfunction led to an upset in the Round of 16. Four years later, in Tokyo, he made it one more round before being eliminated.
What’s next for Matt Stutzman?
After clinching his gold medal, Stutzman propped his compound bow upright on the ground and bowed deeply to his weapon in a gesture of respect. He later told NBC Sports that it was his way of saying goodbye to the sport and expressing gratitude for what it has meant in his life.
Stutzman says he has medical issues with his hips caused by his technique and is leaning toward retirement rather than facing another four grueling years of training to prepare for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. The chance to defend the gold in his home country, though, will surely be tempting.
In the meantime, Stutzman will have more time to spend on his other competitive sport -- drag racing. He told the Southeast Iowa Union newspaper that he races in his home-state of Iowa, as well as Missouri and Illinois.
Has Matt Stutzman inspired other para archers?
Stutzman is leaving behind a legacy even bigger than the medals on his mantle.
Inspired by Stutzman’s example, the next generation of armless archers were already a noticeable presence at these Paris Games. Protégé Sheetal Devi, a 17-year-old from India became the first female archer without arms to medal at the Paralympics after taking home the bronze in the mixed team compound open event.
CNN reported that Devi, who was born with a condition that stunted the development of her arms, started learning the bow in 2021, but didn’t flourish as an archer until she studied Stutzman’s technique.
“There’re more armless archers involved in this sport now,” Stutzman told World Archery magazine after his historic win. “You can take away all my medals, and I wouldn’t care, because that would be my medal.”
