Taymon Kenton-Smith PLY took up archery at age six, training out of Samford Valley Target Archers in Brisbane. Born with a partial left hand, Taymon couldn’t grip a bow, so he built his own way to hold one. Innovation has been a big part of his career, backed by a lot of hard work and problem solving to break down the barriers in his way. Taymon always knew he was meant for the Tokyo and Paris Paralympics, and his resilience and sheer determination got him there.
“Ordinary things done over a long period of time is how extraordinary things happen”
With no off-the-shelf solution for an archer who can’t close his hand around a riser, Taymon spent roughly 15 years engineering and fine tuning his own. He moved from an aluminium device locked to the bow, to a leather hook held by one screw, then two, finally letting him properly engage his thumb and forefinger as just another variable to factor into his craft.
It’s a craft he shares as part of a resourceful community of para-archers, who’ve had to become inventors before they could become competitors. Speaking openly about that process, and passing his knowledge on to other archers facing similar barriers, is his way of contributing back to the sport. He’s helped build the informal culture of equipment-sharing and adaptable gear that makes archery a sport for all, a real demonstration of the accessibility and adaptability the sport offers as a sport for all.
Some of Taymon’s best performance advice was to just be himself. Being his authentic self gave him an advantage in the sport, best seen at the Paris Paralympics, where he took out the world number one at the time to reach the quarter finals, drawing national attention with his energy and charisma on the range.
Career Highlights
2020 Tokyo Paralympics (debut, age 27): Qualified 18th in the Individual Recurve (604/720), losing in the Round of 32 to Eric Bennett. Also competed in Mixed Team Recurve with Imalia Oktrininda.
2021 National Championships: Bronze in the Para Open Male Recurve.
2024 Paris Paralympics: The peak of his career. Qualified 21st, then won three straight matches (1/16, 1/8, quarterfinal) before falling in the semi-final and bronze match, finishing 4th in the world in the Individual Recurve.
His coach Ricci Cheah had the following highlights from watching him grow and mature into a formidable archer. “His character is so unique and in the years that I’ve known him he has always been passionate and fun but also competitive and authentic in the way he does archery. I will never forget the way he moved the crowds in Paris Paralympics to cheer for him, how he used their energy to his advantage and defeat higher ranking opponents. It’s an incredible skill that he has that encompasses the magic of a games”
The recurve discipline of para archery has been evolving during Taymon’s time in the sport and the quality of recurvers has grown in the para team through a healthy rivalry that pushes and drives everyone. Taymon is only retiring from competition, not the sport completely, and will be closely watching and supporting the Aussie squad.
A regular public speaker for Archery Australia and the Paralympic movement, he also will continue to mentor rising para-archers as Brisbane 2032 approaches, sharing his messages about effort, discipline and overcoming adversity to reach success.
AA thank Taymon for his contribution to the sport and look forward to following along with his next phase in the sport and in life.
