Anna Benson

Started: She took up shooting Para sport in 2018. (paralympic.org, 30 Sep 2019) Reason: She was a non-Para shooter prior to her accident. She was advised to take up shooting Para sport during her recovery. (forsvarsmakten.se, 09 Mar 2021; paralympic.org, 30 Sep 2019) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (parasport.se, 08 Jun 2022) Awards: In September 2021 she received a special recognition award from the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces [OB] in recognition of her silver medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (Instagram profile, 09 Sep 2021) Additional Info: TECHNIQUE She was a non-Para shooter prior to her accident, and she tries to use a modified version of her former stance when competing in shooting Para sport. "The hardest thing to overcome is that my ankle doesn't feel how it used to feel. Most of all it causes me a lot of pain, because the ankle is completely stiff, and if you can't move your ankle, then the bending part has to come from somewhere else. So, then your knees break down. I try to shoot like I did before the accident as much as possible, so I stand on one foot, and I'm on tiptoes on the other. I could sit on a chair but that's so completely new to me, it's too hard. I try to stick to what I'm used to." (paralympic.org, 30 Sep 2019) MILITARY SERVICE She serves as an officer in the Swedish Army, and worked with the air defence section that helped protect British airspace during the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (Instagram profile, 30 Apr 2024; forsvarsmakten.se, 27 Aug 2021, 09 Mar 2021; paralympic.org, 14 Oct 2019, 30 Sep 2019)