A Fairfield resident is a step closer to becoming the world’s best archer.

Paralympic silver medalist Matt Stutzman, originally from Kalona, has made it on the U.S. Senior Compound Men’s Archery Team, making him one of the eight best male archers in the U.S., and he has no arms. Stutzman originally took up archery in 2009 to put food on the table for his wife and kids through hunting, but he shares what inspired him to do this professionally, “Shortly after getting a bow, a sponsor reached out about a sponsorship and I had a buddy tell me that, ‘The reason why they sponsor you is because you have no arms and you draw attention to a product, and it’s not because you’re good.’ And that was the day I decided, January 12, 2010, that was the day I decided that I wanted to be known as the best archer in the world first of all, followed by, ‘By the way did you know he does it with no arms.’”

It wasn’t an easy decision for Stutzman to decide to compete for the able-bodied team, as he has to take his name off the national paralympic team to be eligible. A Guinness World Record holder for the furthest accurate shot, Stutzman now looks forward to achieving a spot on the U.S. World Cup Team next summer. Olympic rules state that Stutzman cannot compete on the able-bodied team in Tokyo, but he hopes the regulations will change in the next eight years so he and other paralympians can compete alongside the world’s greatest athletes.