After an additional International Paralympic Committee (IPC) quota was awarded to the USA Shooting Team, Stetson Bardfield will be the seventh member of the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 Team. He will shoot the R5- Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH2 event in Tokyo.
“I’m surprised, said Stetson Bardfield, Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 Team Member. I can’t even put it into words. I’ve been shooting for about seven years, two of those at the junior club level, so from the time I was named to the development team until now it's just been an incredible journey. My biggest thing is teaching people not to set limits on themselves. So many people set limits on themselves and even me, and through shooting and in every facet of my life I’ve tried to constantly break those limits.
The IPC allows for quota applications by name and USA Shooting is fortunate enough to have received one for Bardfield.
Stetson is inspirationally humble in his approach to everything he does,” said USA Shooting National Paralympic Coach Don Stith. He takes nothing for granted including the people there to support him. There wasn’t a moment in the recent World Cup in Lima where he was not helping his teammates. Having him on the team he truly fulfills the last piece of the puzzle of this well-rounded team.
Get to know Stetson Bardfield, who will represent Team USA at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 as the seventh member of the USA Shooting Paralympic Team.
Stetson Bardfield
Events: R5- Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH2
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Stetson started shooting in 2014 after his family moved to Ft. Carson in Colorado Springs, CO. He was introduced to shooting at the Warrior Games after watching Marine Sgt. Pedro Aquino compete in shooting and swimming. At the time, Stetson didn’t know that shooting was a Paralympic sport, and on his first day of practicing rifle, he shot a perfect 10.9 score. His career officially started in 2018 as one of two junior athletes the first Junior Paralympics. Just a year later, in 2019, Stetson won a gold medal in the R5- Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH2 at the ParaPan American Games.
Stetson is a resident athlete at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado and the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be Stetson’s first Games debut.