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Stoke Mandeville Hospital still sits on the outskirts of Aylesbury, about 45 miles northwest of London, at the edge of wide swaths of cropland. It was there, in 1948, that 16 paralyzed men and women — many of them military veterans wounded in World War II — took part in a wheelchair archery competition. It was a concept that quickly evolved into the Paralympic Games as we know them today.
Of course, the modern version of the competition, which concludes Sunday just down the road in England’s capital, are a bit more ambitious. The wheelchairs are still there, but now there are nine events designed specifically around them — including tennis, basketball and fencing — as well as a number of sports like sailing, rowing and sitting volleyball in which wheelchair-bound participants can compete. There’s also blind soccer. And judo. And a host of track-and-field events.
Archery’s still there, too. American Matt Stutzman (above) competed in the event, despite the fact he was born without arms. He holds the bow with his right foot, loads the arrow with his left and draws the cord back with his teeth. On Monday, he won silver. What’d you do?
In honor of Stutzman and similarly high achievers, here are a dozen of the Paralympics' most inspiring moments so far.
