Jackie Chan Was Amazed After Seeing Matt Stutzman Live: “It’s Amazing”Oscar-winning actor Jackie Chan saw the charm of para-archery on Friday afternoon. The drizzly day was no excuse as he sat under his umbrella to watch Matt Stutzman’s opening match at the Paralympics Paris 2024.
“I’ve come especially for you,” he said as he met up with Mexican archer Victor Sardina, a 41-year-old defeated fellow.
Chan said he visited the venue at the foot of the Hotel des Invalides to watch the archery pioneer perform live.
And he was fascinated.
“It’s an extraordinary experience. It’s my first time at the Paralympics,” Chan said.
“Every time I see para-athletes doing something special, I ask myself if I should work harder. They are not ordinary people.”
“They had to work 10 times harder than us.”
Stutzmann left the arena and went straight to meet the Hollywood star.
“I got a message a few days ago saying ‘how would you feel about meeting Jackie Chan’, and I was like… That would be great, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. And then All of a sudden he said Jackie Chan is here! I could not believe it!”
Another memory in this is perhaps Stutzman’s last games.
“I’ll never forget that day! It’s been a Paralympic of memories for me. My family was in the stands for the first time in my life, and I met Jackie Chan,” he said.
I’m blown away by the memories I’ve made in such a short amount of time, Stutzman barely finds the words.
They greeted him warmly, joked, mentioned the films Chan had starred in, and posed for countless photos. The famous actor, who was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2016, surprised the armless archer with gifts. And asked him for an autograph!
Chan also tried to push Stutzman’s bow back – but not with his feet.
“I picked up the bow, and it was so heavy. It was the first time I had it. He can do things like that. It’s amazing to me,” Jackie said.
“It took a while for that part to sink in that he admired me,” Stutzman admitted.
“It’s funny because I know a lot about Jackie Chan. Where he came from, how he grew up, how he ended up, what he did before he made a living. That’s kind of my motivation.”
And despite countless famous stunts that won him an honorary Oscar – he’s never hit a bow with his feet.
“Oh! You know, I’ll practice if someone asks me to!
“If you need me to do it, I will!”
If he wanted her to go… he knew who to ask for advice.
But for now, let’s leave that to the experts. Stutzman has one match left but is still four away from the Paralympic title.
I feel like I won! It’s like being in heaven, he claimed.
“Dreams come true!”
Competition in Paris continues on Saturday with the W1 and compound women’s finals. Stutzman will shoot again on Sunday.
