Matt Stutzman has no arms but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming a champion archer

UNITED States archer Matt Stutzman last year hit a target with a single arrow from 283m. It’s a Guinness world record. And he did it without arms.

Matt Stutzman competing in Rio in the archery competition. AFP PHOTO / CHRISTOPHE SIMON

UNITED States archer Matt Stutzman last year hit a target with a single arrow from 283m. It’s a Guinness world record.

No-one, ever, has fired with such accuracy across the length of two-and-a-half footy fields.

But here’s the kicker: Stutzman did it with no arms.

In one of the greatest examples of adaptability over disability at these Rio Paralympic Games, the 33-year-old born without arms instead uses his legs, trunk and jaw to succeed at a sport seemingly impossible to play without upper limbs.

“Whether I win or lose, I’m leaving a legacy for people to watch,” Stutzman said.

“‘Look at that guy, he has no arms, and he’s shooting. He didn’t let having no arms stand in the way of doing something he wanted to do’.

Matt Stutzman has not let having no arms get in his way of competing.

“For me that’s what’s important, changing just one person’s life. If I get a medal that’s great on top of everything else.”

Stutzman won a silver medal at the London 2012 Paralympics, and on Thursday morning defeated Puerto Rico’s Alexis Rosario Vazquez in the opening round of the men’s individual compound 1/16 eliminations.

His Rio campaign ended soon after with a heartbreaking 142-141 defeat to Brazilian Andrey Muniz de Castro in their 1/8 match.

The man known as the “Armless Archer” came into the Games already with a following in the US, where he has featured in online and TV reports since his London silver.

This week he revealed his motivation to take up archery stemmed from a basic need to put food on the table for his family.

“I couldn’t find a job. I was pretty depressed,” he said.

“No guy who has kids feels good about not being able to take care of them. I hunted (with a gun) when I was younger, and one day I got this idea about getting a bow and going out in the woods and harvest an animal to put in our freezer.

“The hunting season is longer for archery where I live.

“I mean, I Googled ‘how to shoot with no arms’, and there was nothing.

“One of the reasons I got good at archery faster, I had that drive of ‘I can’t fail’ because I had to provide food.

“Just that little thing made me feel happy about life. Who knew it was going to take off into what it is now?”

Fans pose for a photo with with Matt Stutzman in Rio. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Stutzman has developed a technique that involves holding the bow with his right foot, between his big toe and second toe. He places the arrow with his left foot.

A lifetime of learning to eat, brush his teeth and shave with his feet made the transition easy, Stutzman said.

He pulls the string with an attachment on his right shoulder, then moves his jaw to trigger the release.

Stutzman said his only disadvantage to rivals was timing. Archers in Olympic and Paralympic competition have only 20 seconds to shoot each arrow, and loading the bow with his feet can sometimes push the limit.

“I’ve practised a lot with the 20-second clock,” he said. “I always say that if you gave me more time, I could never lose.”

Originally published as Matt Stutzman has no arms but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming a champion archer