Laureus World Sports Awards, Best Sporting Moment November nominees: Matt Stutzman's shot to glory

Matt Stutzman was born without arms, but from an early age, he found ways to do the things he wanted to do. In the face of adversity, he has always done all he can to overcome any obstacle in his path. With the odds stacked against him, he always managed to come out on top. [caption id=“attachment_4191543” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] USA’s Matt Stutzman uses his feet to support his bow and his teeth to fire the arrow during the Archery Men’s Individual Compound Open at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Reuters[/caption] Stutzman’s sport of choice is archery, and he has approached his sport in the way he has everything else in life — by adapting himself, rather than the other way around. Leon and Jean Stutzman had raised him that way after adopting Matt when he was 13 months old. It took a while to learn, but at the age of 28, he had entered himself in a tournament with 550 able-bodied archers. “The reality is that was I wasn’t that good.” says Stutzman, “and I wanted to be the best in the world at that point.” So he started training eight hours a day, slowly perfecting the method he’d adapted. Practice paid off, and at a tournament in early 2011 someone suggested Stutzman looked into the prospect of competing in the Paralympics. It hadn’t been a consideration, but 18 months later, he would go to London and come home with a silver medal. “I was outshot by a guy from Finland. In fact, on the podium, I told him, ‘You’re never gonna beat me again,’” Stutzman says. “He didn’t understand English, and so he agreed with me. We’ve met several times in international tournaments, and I haven’t lost to him since.” Stutzman is currently taking a hiatus from the US Paralympic team. He wants to qualify for the able-bodied team and compete against the world’s best archers. In August, the Kansas City native astonished people at the US National Target Championships held in Westfield, Indiana. Against all odds, Stutzman managed to win the men’s compound title at the event and cemented his name in the history books. In a field of talented able-bodied archers from his division, the armless archer eliminated his competition and shot his way to glory. To vote for your favourite nominee, visit myLaureus.com. Laureus World Sports Awards have been in existence for the last 17 years, with the first Laureus Awards held in 2000. Other than the Laureus Best Sporting Moment, Laureus announces its awards in eight different categories, some of them being: Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, Laureus World Team of the Year.