Fairfield’s armless archer has his sights set on gold

Matt Stutzman is returning to the Paralympics for a third time — and he has his sights set on gold.

Stutzman, known as the armless archer, holds the world record for the longest accurate archery shot.

But the Paralympic gold is the accomplishment that still is eluding him, he says.

Born without arms, Stutzman shoots with an unmodified bow — the only modification Stutzman has is a strap around his chest to pull back the bow string.

He places the bow on the arrow with his foot, pulls the bow back with his shoulder, and the trigger for the release aid rests on his jaw.

When he’s ready to shoot, he moves his jaw ever-so-slightly, and away the arrow flies, hitting the target with expert accuracy.

He took silver in London in 2012, but was eliminated early in the competition in the 2016 Rio Games, in part due to an equipment failure.

“My shooting is good enough right now that if I just trust what I’m capable of, hopefully, that would result in a gold medal,” he said.

He’ll get his chance to finally clinch the gold medal when he arrives in Tokyo later this month. The Paralympics run from Aug. 24-Sept. 5, involving about 4,400 athletes with physical disabilities from 160 countries.

Though the Games were postponed a year due to the pandemic, Stutzman said the extra time to prepare was beneficial for his training.

Still, the spectator-less games present a challenge for the father of three.

“I don’t get to take any family with me to the Games, the support structure I rely on quite a bit won’t be with me at this one,” he said. “So that will be a little bit difficult.”

He’s changed his training focus from previous years, only shooting for a few hours a day and focusing on mental preparation.

“I take family time and enjoy hanging out with the boys, working on cars, just to try to keep my mind from thinking about it all the time,” Stutzman said. ”In the past, when I thought about it every single waking second, it didn’t turn out as well.“

He’s also focused on his physical fitness training for these games, dropping 35 to 40 pounds from his weight in Rio.

He set a world record at the Paralympic trials in June.

Stutzman’s success has given him a platform — he’s one of a small number of archers that make a living from the sport.

Last year, he appeared in the Netflix Documentary “Rising Phoenix,” which profiled several paralympians on their journey to the Tokyo Games.

He’s appeared on games shows, talk shows and news segments.

He says he’s learned not to let the pressure get to him.

“In Rio, I put a lot more pressure on myself than I should have, but I know how to handle it this time, so I don’t feel any pressure,” he said. “I’m ready to go because I want to compete and go there and do my best.”

He says he has a lot people at home in Fairfield who will be supporting him and cheering him on.

“I feel like the bigger towns don’t have that kind of thing,” he said. “Whereas in a small town, every single sign will have your name on it, cheering you on, and it feels good to have that support.”

Stutzman, 38, isn’t slowing down after Tokyo.

“My plan is to keep training and stay a part of Team USA. I would like to make the 2028 games in L.A.,” he said. “What better way to finish a career than on home soil?”