U.S. Olympic Athletes
T.J. Pemberton
T.J. Pemberton is a retired Oklahoma City firefighter/paramedic. He shot IBO 3D archery until October 5, 2002, when he was in a near fatal ATV accident while deer hunting in Southeast Oklahoma. Pemberton fell 442 feet, breaking 9 bones, causing nerve damage to his right leg and a spinal fracture. After his family was told he would not make it through the night, the fire department chaplain gave him last rites in the ICU. Against all odds, he woke up two days later wanting a cheeseburger and was released for six weeks of bed rest. Following his bed rest, he finished out the deer hunting bow season, using a crossbow and harvesting a doe.
The next spring, he began shooting archery again, starting in a wheelchair. He was unable to shoot 3D, so he had a new brace made by Hanger Prosthetics and he won the IBO State Championship that year.
In July 2005, Pemberton made the U.S. Paralympics Archery World Championships Team and has been with the national team ever since. In 2008, Pemberton made the trip to Beijing, China, where he competed in the 2008 Paralympic Games.
Major Achievements:
- 2008: U.S. Paralympic Team member, Archery - Beijing, China
- 2007: 13th place, Open Compound - IPC Archery World Championships, Cheongju, Korea
- 2007: Member of U.S. Paralympics Archery World Championships Team
- 2006: Second place, AR Open Compound - National Archery Association Nationals, Colorado Springs, Colo.
- 2005: Second place, AR Open Compound - National Archery Association Nationals, Colorado Springs, Colo.
- 2005: Member of the U.S. Paralympics Archery World Championships Team
