USA Shooting: Stetson Bardfield Defends Parapan American Games Championship Title

Team USA’s Stetson Bardfield won the R5 Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH2 event gold medal at the 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile, Nov. 20, breaking his own record in the process.

by
at USA Shooting posted on November 28, 2023
Bardfield 2023Parapan 1
With a score of 253.4, USA Shooting’s Stetson Bardfield landed the R5 Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH2 event gold medal at the 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile, Nov. 20.
USA Shooting

Stetson Bardfield earned a gold medal in the R5 Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH2 event at the 2023 Parapan America Games in Santiago, Chile, on Monday, November 20, successfully defending his title from the 2019 Parapan American Games.

“I am feeling amazing,” Bardfield, a Tokyo Paralympian said. “I was definitely a little anxious at the beginning. I have a lot of worthy competitors, but I stuck to my shot plan, and it ended up carrying me through.”

Stetson Bardfield with gold medal
Team USA’s Stetson Bardfield with his R5 Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH2 gold medal at the 2023 Parapan American Games.

 

Bardfield shot a final score of 253.4, breaking the Parapan American Games record that he previously set back in 2019. The Tokyo 2020 Paralympian triumphed over Alexandre Galgani of Brazil, who finished second. When Bardfield and Galgani were the last two competitors in the R5 Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH2 final, there were just two single shots left to take. Bardfield only had a 0.1-point lead before the final two shots.

“I was just trying to hold on,” Bardfield said. “At any time a shot can go wrong, and any person can take [the lead] from you in an instant. It was a very intense experience.”

Bardfield mentioned that he could feel his heart beating fast, but that his mindset was to just do as best as he can and see where it goes from there. This approach paid off, as he has now earned back-to-back Parapan American Games titles. Bardfield earned his first title at the 2019 Lima Parapan American Games.

“These games were definitely more intense for me,” Bardfield said. “Lima was great but this time the scores and competition were higher.”

Bardfield’s favorite part about Santiago was the athlete village. He enjoyed the camaraderie from all the sports and countries present.

“It was an absolutely incredible experience,” Bardfield said. “It has been an honor to represent Team USA and I hope to do it again in Paris.”

USA Shooting earned a total of seven medals at the 2023 Parapan American Games.

  1. YanXiao Gong: Gold, Mixed P3 25m Sport Pistol SH1
  2. Marco De La Rosa: Silver, Mixed P3 25m Sport Pistol SH1
  3. Mike Tagliapietra: Bronze, Mixed P3 25m Sport Pistol SH1
  4. Marco De La Rosa: Gold, P3 Men’s Air Pistol SH1
  5. YanXiao Gong: Bronze, P3 Men’s Air Pistol SH1
  6. Stetson Bardfield: Gold, R5 Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH2
  7. Kevin Nguyen: Bronze, R6 Mixed 50m Rifle Prone SH1

For official results and scores from the 2023 Parapan American Games, go to this link.

USA Shooting would like to thank the NRA Foundation, a platinum-level sponsor, for its support of the team. Contributions from the NRA Foundation are helping U.S. athletes post podium finishes at the 2023 Parapan American Games.

Learn more about USA Shooting at usashooting.org.

Latest

Natehorvath Interview 1
Natehorvath Interview 1

Nate Horvath On PrairieFire Nevada Rebranding To Staccato Vegas, Membership Benefits And Range Day

PrairieFire CEO Nate Horvath talks about Staccato Range Day 2025, rebranding to Staccato Vegas, benefits of the Nevada facility and membership options.

NRA CEO & EVP Doug Hamlin On 2025 NRA Great American Outdoor Show: ‘A True Celebration Of American Freedom’

Massive crowds descended on Central Pennsylvania for 2025 NRA Great American Outdoor Show.

Upgrade Your SIG P320 With The Brouwer M1823 Steel Grip Module

This steel grip module is compatible with standard P320 magazines, slides and fire control units, and has a built-in magwell.

NRA Celebrates Centennial Anniversary: 1971 National Matches

The year 1971 marked 100 years of operation for the National Rifle Association of America.

NRA Range Development & Operations Conference Announced For August 2025

NRA Range Development & Operations Conference to be held in Fairfax, Va., August 21-22, 2025.

Weaver Mounts Unveils New Website

Weaver Mounts launches new website at WeaverMounts.com.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.