Taymon Kenton-Smith
Australian Paralympic recurve archer with a custom grip.
Taymon Kenton-Smith is an Australian Paralympic recurve archer, born on 6 September 1994. He competed for Australia at both the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Born without any fingers on his left hand, Kenton-Smith designed the logo for his Facebook Archery page himself, along with the motto "Half the hand, Twice the effort". He is known by those around him as highly focused and driven when pursuing goals. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern Queensland and a Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of Queensland.
Kenton-Smith began archery in 2001 at age six. When he was 14, he promised his grandmother he would make it to the Paralympic Games. She wrote to *Take 5 Magazine*, and with the money from their "Wishing Well" competition, he bought a recurve bow. He is a member of the Samford Valley Target Archers in Brisbane. At the 2021 Para & VI National Championships run by Archery Australia, he placed third in the Para Open Male Recurve. In 2020, the sports engineering section of the Australian Institute of Sport developed a custom grip for his left hand, which has no fingers.
At the Tokyo Paralympics, Kenton-Smith qualified 18th in the Men's individual recurve with a score of 604 out of 720, but lost to Eric Bennett of the USA in the Round of 32. In the Mixed team recurve, he teamed with Imalia Oktrininda and lost in the Round of 32 to Milena Olszewska of Poland. At the Paris Paralympics, he qualified 21st in the Men's individual recurve with a score of 596, then lost to Mohammad Reza Arab Amerii in the bronze medal match. Partnering with AJ Jennings in the Mixed team recurve, they lost in the round of sixteen.
Quick Facts
- Header Color
- green
- Birth Date
- 6 September 1994
- Birth Place
- Kingaroy, Queensland
- Height
- 185 cm
- Weight
- 89 kg
- Sport
- Archery
- Disability Class
- Open Male Recurve
- Club
- Samford Valley Target Archers and Mount Petrie Bowmen
- Coach
- Past Coaches; Alison Hagaman and Robert Turner / Current coaches - Ricci Cheah and Sarah Fuller
- Text Color
- yellow
- Nickname
- Half-Hand
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Kenton-Smith was born without any fingers on his left hand. He took up archery in 2001 at age six. At 14 he made a promise to his grandmother to reach the Paralympic Games; she wrote to Take 5 Magazine, and with the money from their 'Wishing Well' competition he purchased a recurve bow. He designed the logo for his Facebook Archery page himself, along with the saying 'Half the hand, Twice the effort', and is known to be very focused and driven when achieving goals. In 2020, the Australian Institute of Sport sports engineering section developed a custom grip for his left hand. He completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Southern Queensland and a Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of Queensland.
Reader's Guide
Kenton-Smith's career illustrates the role of adaptive technology in Paralympic archery. The custom grip developed by the Australian Institute of Sport's sports engineering section in 2020 addressed his congenital absence of fingers on his left hand, enabling him to compete at the highest level. His Paralympic results include qualifying 18th at Tokyo 2020 with a score of 604, losing to Eric Bennett of the USA in the Round of 32, and partnering with Imalia Oktrininda in the mixed team recurve where they lost in the Round of 32 to Milena Olszewska of Poland. At Paris 2024 he qualified 21st with 596 points, lost to Mohammad Reza Arab Amerii in the bronze medal match, and partnered with AJ Jennings in the mixed team recurve, losing in the round of sixteen. His personal motto and logo reflect his self-advocacy and determination. At Archery Australia’s 2021 Para & VI National Championships, he placed third in the Para Open Male Recurve.
Did You Know?
- He made a promise to his grandmother at age 14 to reach the Paralympic Games.
- His grandmother won money from Take 5 Magazine's 'Wishing Well' competition to buy his recurve bow.
- He designed his own Facebook Archery page logo and the saying 'Half the hand, Twice the effort'.
More in Archers of the Americas and Oceania 1-24
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