[Ashleigh] Stereotypes and stories are very powerful.
[Announcer #1] Ashleigh Johnson is a formidable goalkeeper.
[Announcer #2] Matt Stutzman.
[Matt] I went to an archery range and I remember asking the guy, “I would like to buy a bow” and he looked at me like I was crazy because he's like, "You have no arms –people without arms don't shoot a bow." In 2010 I was sitting on the couch and I was going through the TV channels, and I stopped on a TV show that had a guy with a bow in it. Something just inside of me said, "That is what you have to do."
[Ashleigh] I grew up in a house with a pool in the backyard. My mom would worry every day when she went to work that me and my four siblings fell into the pool somehow and we all drowned. So she got us swim lessons. And the swim team that we happened to join had water polo. We have a very busy schedule. Every week, we practice, every day, twice a day. And of course, we're doing water polo.
[Matt] Everything that I've worked for, everything I trained for, has come down to this moment. I think about the wind while I'm aiming. Remaining calm. Keeping my breath under control. I've been known to train at airfields where I'll jump out of planes. It gets my adrenaline pumping. And then when I land, I shoot arrows until my adrenaline wears off. Another way of doing that is racing cars.
[Ashleigh] I try to keep my mind moving forward and just focus on what's happening right now. Going back to the Games and just the anticipation of Paris is really exciting.
[Matt] I have now learned what is more important than winning a gold medal and that is influencing people in a positive way along my journey.
[Ashleigh] We all, as athletes, have the power to affect the people around us. Sports are inspiring. Being good at whatever you do is inspiring.
[Matt] If a guy like me with no arms can take a bow and compete at this level, then what's your excuse?
[On-screen text] In 2016, Ashleigh became the first African-American woman to make the US Olympic women’s water polo team. When Matt first competed, he was the only ‘armless archer’. At Paris 2024, multiple archers are set to use his technique. Allianz is proud to support Ashleigh and Matt as they continue to push boundaries and inspire the next generation in sports. [End of on-screen text]