USA archer Eric Bennett, 40, was eighth overall in the individual recurve competition this week at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Bennett, of the Catus Lane Ward, Surprise Arizona Stake, uses a mouth tab to pull back the string. He lost his right arm above the elbow in a car accident when he was a teenager.
After an initial ranking round earlier this week, the top 32 archers go one-on-one in a single elimination tournament with five rounds of three arrows shot at a 10-ring target 70 meters away. Bennett was seventh after the ranking round. He won against Vaclav Kostal of the Czech Republic, and then Lung-Hui Tseng of Taiwan. In the quarterfinals, he lost against Thailand’s Hanreuchai Netsiri, who went on to win silver.
Bennett was one of several members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who competed Tuesday and Wednesday in the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Track and field: Tyson Gunter, 29, a returned missionary from the Spanish Fork Utah River Stake, qualified Tuesday for the finals in the 400-meter, T13 classification, which is for athletes with visual impairments. He was seventh in Thursday's finals race.
Austin Pruitt, 22, of the Otay Lakes Ward, Chula Vista California Stake, competed in the 100 meter, T34 classification, and the 800 meter, T33/34 classification, which are for athletes with coordination impairments and use wheelchairs.
In the 100-meter T34 race on Sept. 11, he was fifth in his preliminary heat and the top three advance to the finals. In the 800-meter T33/34 race on Wednesday, he was second in his preliminary heat and then sixth in the final.
Paracanoe: Ann Yoshida, 38, of the Mililani Hawaii Stake, competed Wednesday in the canoe sprint, the KL1 division, which is for athletes with no use of their legs. Yoshida was in a car accident in college and was paralyzed from the waist down.
In the preliminary heats, she qualified for the semifinals, but not for the finals.
Wheelchair rugby: The pool round started Wednesday for USA’s wheelchair rugby team, which includes Josh Wheeler, 36, a returned missionary from Oregon. He was in a motorcycle accident that broke his neck.
Team USA won against France 51-42 on Wednesday, with Wheeler, who was a starter in the game, scoring six goals. Each player has a classification up to 3.5, which is the highest mobility, and teams are allowed players with a combined total of eight points on the court. Wheeler’s classification is 2.5.
Team USA won 54-44 against Sweden on Thursday with Wheeler scoring six goals. It faces Japan on Friday with the elimination games for the medals this weekend.
Wheelchair basketball: The Argentine women, including Julieta Olmedo, 26, of the Cordoba Argentina East Stake, won their final game against Algeria on Tuesday 53-38, securing ninth place in the tournament. Olmedo, who was starter on Tuesday, scored 10 pounds and had eight assists.
Competing this week
Track and field: David Blair, 44, of Eagle Mountain, will compete in the men’s discus F44 event on Friday.
Chilean runner Margarite Faundez is scheduled to run in the women's marathon T11/T12 this weekend.
Swimming: Brickelle Bro, 19, of Colorado, is scheduled to compete in her fourth race of the Paralympics — the 50-meter freestyle S8 on Friday.
Wheelchair rugby: Team USA, including Wheeler, plays Japan on Friday with the elimination games for medals this weekend.
___
See "Mormons competing in the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio" for more on LDS athletes competing in Rio.
Email: rappleye@deseretnews.com, Twitter: CTRappleye