PARIS

The route to Sunday’s Paralympic archery final was fitting for Matt Stutzman.

It didn’t come easy.

The four-time Paralympian, who was born without arms, won two of three matches by shootoff to reach the championship against top seeded Ai Xinliang of China. Stutzman would miss just one 10-point shot during the five-round final — setting a new Paralympic record on the way to gold.

For a 41-year old who has known plenty of adversity — the dramatic victories, the long-awaited gold medal, and the presence of his family — were a perfect storybook finish.

“I'll have more time to process it after a couple of days. But yes, it is. I don't think I could script it any better,” Stutzman told World Archery after his 149-147 win in the men's compound open final.

A Paralympic gold seemed like a long shot in April when the Kalona native finished seventh at the stage one qualifying event in Phoenix. But he rebounded in May to qualify for the 2024 Games. Stutzman, who now lives in Fairfield, said that his main purpose was to enjoy the experience with his family, who was able to accompany him to the Paralympics for the first time.

“I didn't want to add that pressure of winning a medal,” he said. “I wanted to come here and enjoy Paris at my last Games with my family. And the memories are what drove me to practice. It wasn't because I was going here to win a medal.”

After winning silver at the London Games in 2012, Stutzman failed to reach the quarterfinals in both Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.

In the way of his quarterfinal appearance on Sunday was Finland's Jere Forsberg, who beat Stutzman for gold in 2012. Tied 141-141 after regulation, Forsberg put the pressure on Stutzman with a 10-point shot in a shootoff. Facing another early exit, Stutzman pulled back an arrow and lined up his shot for a long six seconds before the release.

Bullseye. Spider. Perfect.

And the drama was just getting started.

After Stutzman defeated Great Britain’s Nathan MacQueen 143-142 in the quarterfinals, it was soon apparent that an all-time performance would be needed to best China’s HE Zihao in the semis.

Zihao opened the match with nine straight 10-point shots. He tied a Paralympic record with his final shot of regulation. But wasn’t enough to top Stutzman, who matched him 148-148 heading into the shootoff. In the one-arrow overtime, Zihao just missed the 10-point ring, while Stutzman finished the match with a fourth consecutive 10 to move on.

Somehow his next match was even better. Stutzman finished his career with nine straight 10-point shots to earn gold. He recalled shooting 150 a couple of times at home, but said this was the best he’s ever shot in front of a crowd and the television audience around the world.

“You don't get pressure at home,” he said. “You don't get the best in the world at home. You don't get a stadium full of 8,000 people at home. Without a doubt, the best I've ever shot.”

It was an incredible Paralympic finale for Stutzman, who has been bothered by a hip injury since 2022.

“In the last four years, I never thought once about winning a gold medal,” he said. “It was about having fun and making memories.”

“It's a pretty good memory, yeah?”

Inspiration

The Paris Games saw four archers competing without arms, including Mexico’s Victor Sardina Viveros, who faced Stutzman on Friday in the Paralympics’ first head-to-head matchup of “armless archers”.

Even after adding a gold medal to his resume, the most meaningful legacy for Stutzman is the growing number of armless athletes following in his footsteps.

“There are more armless archers involved in this sport now,” Stutzman said. “You can take away all my medals, and I wouldn't care, because that would be my medal.”