Fairfield’s Stutzman finishes ninth at Paralympics

Fairfield’s Matt Stutzman finished ninth in an archery competition at the 2020 Paralympic Games held in Japan.

Stutzman announced on his Facebook page that he finished in the Top 10 in the category “compound open.” He posted a photo of himself drawing his bow with the message, “Getting ready for the next one. There will be a lot of changes to make me ready for the next games.”

Stutzman was born without arms, and shoots with an unmodified bow, the only modification being a strap around his chest to pull back the bow string. He goes by the nickname the “armless archer.”

Stutzman’s run in the 2020 Paralympics came to an end when he lost to Slovakia’s Marcel Pavlik. Stutzman won the silver medal at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. He holds the Guinness World Record for the longest accurate archery shot at 310 yards, a feat he completed in 2015.

Fairfield resident Dawn Ridgeway Bechtel said she is planning a parade in Fairfield for Stutzman upon his return to the United States. The time and date of the parade have not been set.