Paralympic Champion Matt Stutzman Announces Return to Archery with Historic LA28 Olympic Goal

Paralympic champion Matt Stutzman announced today his return to competitive archery with a historic goal: qualifying for the LA28 Olympic Games and becoming the first Paralympic Gold Medalist to win an Olympic Gold Medal in archery. The announcement comes after Stutzman retired from international para-archery competition following his gold medal performance at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, where he set a Paralympic record with a score of 149 out of 150 in the final.

Stutzman, known around the world as "The Armless Archer," was born without arms and holds and fires his compound bow using his feet and a release mechanism near his shoulder. His innovative technique and remarkable accuracy have made him one of the most recognizable athletes in international archery. "I thought winning gold in Paris was the perfect ending to my career," Stutzman said. "But when compound archery was added to the Olympic program for Los Angeles, I realized my story might not be finished. I have the opportunity to attempt something that has never been done before—and I have to take that shot."

Compound archery will make its Olympic debut at LA28 through a mixed-team event featuring one male and one female archer from each qualifying nation. Stutzman will seek to earn the men's position on the U.S. compound team through USA Archery's U.S. Olympic Trials athlete selection process. Only 12 compound mixed teams are currently expected to compete at LA28, making Olympic qualification exceptionally selective.

The campaign represents one of the most ambitious crossover attempts in Olympic and Paralympic history. If successful, Stutzman would compete in the Olympic Games four years after winning Paralympic Gold and would have an opportunity to become the first Paralympic champion to capture an Olympic archery title. "This is bigger than coming out of retirement," Stutzman said. "It is about challenging what people believe is possible. I want young athletes with disabilities to see that they do not have to accept someone else's definition of their limits. I also want to prove that when I step onto the range, I am not just a great Para archer—I am one of the best archers in the world."

Stutzman made his Paralympic debut at London 2012, winning the silver medal in the men's individual compound event. He subsequently represented the United States at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 before completing his Paralympic journey with gold in Paris. Following that victory, he became the first Para athlete to be named World Archery's overall Archer of the Year. His return will require Stutzman to compete against the leading compound archers in the United States and around the world while adapting to the unique demands of mixed-team competition.

"I understand how difficult this will be," Stutzman said. "Nothing is guaranteed—not qualification, not selection and certainly not a medal. That is exactly why the challenge means so much to me. Paris proved that the greatest achievements can come after the moments when other people think your career is over." The LA28 Olympic archery competition is scheduled to take place at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. Compound mixed-team qualification is scheduled for July 19, 2028, with the medal rounds taking place July 21.

Stutzman's road to LA28 will include national and international competition, intensive training and the pursuit of commercial partners committed to supporting an unprecedented Olympic campaign. "This journey is about more than one athlete or one medal," Stutzman added. "It is about creating a moment that can change how the world looks at ability. I won my Paralympic Gold Medal. Now I am coming back to take aim at Olympic history."