Team USA’s Matt Stutzman has set a new record of 149 at the Paris 2024 Paralympics after he shot the arrows of his life to secure a gold medal in the para-archery individual compound open.
The 5-end final saw the American athlete when he was faced by the People’s Republic of China’s Ai Xinliang, who secured a bronze medal from Tokyo in 2020. The two archers swapped perfect 30 scores, with a draw at the end of the first. The People’s Republic of China’s Ai Xinliang was defeated by just a point after the second end.
Stutzman returned to the game with a perfect display in the third end to equalize the Chinese score, but Ai had already dropped a point. The fourth end, as witnessed, ensures that Ai falters with Stutzman putting up another great score. Stutzman came into the fifth end and final end in the lead, one point up.
Stutzman did not give up, and he did not stop improving himself in the game to finish with a new Paralympic record score of 149 against Ai at 147 to secure a gold medal as the final three arrows were shot, with Ai grabbing the silver medal for coming second and He Zihao getting the bronze medal for coming after Ai.
The USA’s paralympic athlete, Matt Stutzman, delivered an incredible display throughout these Paralympic Games that included shooting a perfect shot to defeat Jere Forsberg, who represents Finland. He also defeated the defending gold medalist, He Zihao, in a thrilling semi-final game from the People’s Republic of China in a one-arrow shoot-off to meet China’s Ai Xinliang in the finals.
This victory stands remarkable as it comes twelve years after Stutzman won his first Paralympics medal, where he was not lucky to get a gold medal but a silver medal at London 2012.
More to come…
