Paris 2024: Best Para archery moments
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games were full of exciting and historic moments at beautiful venues with enthusiastic crowds. Here are three highlights from Para archery that made the Games special:
Top Moment
Armless Archer Matt Stutzman, competing in his fourth Paralympics, won his first gold medal in the men’s individual compound open event. Stutzman, who is featured in the Netflix documentary Rising Phoenix, scored 149 points and beat Ai Xinliang from China. This was his final Paralympic Games, and he was emotional about his win. Stutzman also made history by competing against another armless archer he mentored. He’s proud of how Para archery changed his life and is excited for the new generation of armless archers.
Biggest Surprise
Jodie Grinham from Great Britain won two medals while being 28 weeks pregnant. She won bronze in the women’s individual compound open event and gold in the mixed team compound open competition. Grinham trained with her coach to adjust for her pregnancy and found a way to focus on her shooting while acknowledging her baby’s movements.
Home Hero
Damien Letulle, a French archer, received a warm welcome from the crowd at the Invalides, the venue where he had previously undergone rehabilitation after an accident. Letulle, who had competed in the 1996 Olympic Games before his injury, carried the Paralympic flame at the opening ceremony and competed in the men’s individual W1 event. Though he lost to Hungary’s Tamas Gaspar in the 1/8 elimination round, his return to the venue and support from the home crowd made him a local hero.
