Matt Stutzman fell squarely into the international spotlight when he came second in the archery competition at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
To the public, the novelty of the Armless Archer may have been intriguing, but it didn’t take long for Matt’s athletic ability to become evident. With or without arms, Matt is still an incredible and accurate archer.
“If I have a good day, I feel I could beat everyone in this room,” said Matt at the Indoor Archery World Cup in Las Vegas at the start of the year.
Talking to Real Sport producers, Matt revealed his can-do attitude was instilled in him by his parents, who fostered him as a young child.
“My parents said to me: ‘You can sit at home and cry and complain and mope about having no arms, but the reality is that they’re never going to come back.’ So we’re going to help you learn to live without them,” he explained to Real Sports cameras.
HBO’s Real Sports is a monthly magazine programme featuring the stories behind athletes, teams or issues affecting sport that began broadcasting in 1995. Matt Stutzman’s story caught the attention of producers in the lead up to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, and a film crew followed Matt in as he prepared for and during the 2016 Vegas Shoot.
After each episode of Real Sports, the producers release one segment from the show free-to-view around the world on YouTube. Matt’s story was chosen.
Watch the video above or on YouTube to learn about Matt’s early life, how he got into archery and developed as an athlete, and what his goals are for the future.
