Shaun Anderson

Started: He took up the sport in 2011 at a local archery club. (Athlete, 26 Jul 2016) Reason: He was looking for an activity to do with his son, and became motivated to try out archery after hearing staff at an archery shop say he could not shoot with one arm. "When they said, 'You can't do it', I just replied, 'Don't tell me I can't do something'." (Athlete, 26 Jul 2016; paralympic.org, 20 Sep 2019) Additional Info: FURTHER SETBACKS In 2017 he was involved in a boat accident with his family. A large wave hit the boat, and after convincing his family to jump into the sea, he tried getting off the boat himself, but slipped and fell into the water with the boat landing on top of him, resulting in paralysis of both legs. On the morning he checked out of rehabilitation following the accident, he returned home to find his house engulfed in flames. "Later, we sat on what was left of the stoop [porch], me and my wife along with my kids. We were all drinking wine and were crying and we were like, 'How much more can we get through?' That was really tough. It was like, 'What else?' But the good thing that came out of the house burning down was all the house was able to be rigged and fitted for me. After four months of building, we realised this was a blessing in disguise." (cnn.com, 06 Mar 2023; paralympic.org, 20 Sep 2019; up.ac.za, 06 May 2021) OCCUPATION He runs Odyssey Archery and has hosted several archery workshops for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. He has also owned a chicken farm in Pretoria, South Africa. (Facebook profile, 26 Jan 2024; LinkedIn profile, 01 May 2023; CGTN Africa YouTube channel, 28 Apr 2021)