This is the third in a series of articles on Zachary Downs Shattuck and his journey to Tokyo as a 2020 Paralympian.
The 2020 Paralympics flame in Tokyo is extinguished, and the first global athletic event since the pandemic began is in the record books. Zachary Downs Shattuck is driving back east from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Facility in Colorado Springs.
“I’m looking forward to the drive,” Zach says of the 1,700-mile trip to his parents in West Virginia and his grandparents in Greenbelt. “I just need to take some time to reflect on what’s just happened, what’s best for me and what’s going to be fulfilling in the future. The drive is an opportunity to embrace that and look into what’s next. I’m just trying to see what calls me next.”
As a U.S. Men’s Paralympian, Zach swam in four events over a week of competition. In the 200-meter individual medley, he broke his own American record and made finals, finishing eighth out of the 24 competitors. He rebounded from a disappointing 100-meter breaststroke in his second event to finish 10th out of 16 swimmers in the 50-meter butterfly, about two seconds off his own American record.
When asked for his most vivid memory of the games, Zach doesn’t hesitate. “When we’d pull out of the Olympic Village to head for the swim venue, every day just outside the Village, a Japanese woman stood and smiled and cheered as the busses drove by.
“She waved a sign: ‘All Paralympians are my heroes.’ We grew to anticipate seeing her. We started cheering for her! And the volunteers, all local Japanese, were amazingly kind and helpful.” As hosts, the Japanese seemed to understand that these athletes from all over the world were here at the biggest event of their lives without the support of family and friends, due to Covid-19 restrictions. And the hosts responded accordingly. Zach loved the Japanese food, especially the gyozas, a Japanese dumpling that was a huge favorite at the Athletic Resource Center in the Olympic Village.
Zach wrapped up his swimming events with the 400-meter freestyle, which he’d only raced three times before. He set a new American record in the event and finished ninth, barely missing the finals. On Zach’s last full day in Tokyo, he and U.S. swimmer Natalie Sims cheered wildly from the nearly empty stands while watching his good friend Evan Austin win a gold medal in the 50-meter butterfly in a breathtaking finish. The next day, Zach and his friends were winging back home.
Zach’s not sure just what’s next. But he’s excited and plans to build on what he started with the Paralympics. “I’ve never been the guy who committed single-focused to any one sport, for fear of losing the enjoyment of it. But now that I’ve been to one Paralympics, I have a much better understanding of what goes into it and what to expect. I know so much more than I did before. So I’ll probably use 2024 as an end-goal for now.”
Athletes all over the world are in a unique position, with the next Summer Olympic and Paralympic games now just three years away and slated for Paris. Hopefully, families will be able to attend the games in the City of Light.
Zach also understands more deeply what it means to represent not just one, but two, very challenged groups. People with disabilities are underrepresented, not just in athletics, but in entertainment and other fields. “And representation is like publication. It’s an absolute honor to be in the position I’m in now. You set a standard, especially for little people. I’m totally down to accept that role.”
As a para-athlete, Zach also represents the disabled. “I’m super proud to be part of both groups. I’ve witnessed people who’ve gone through a lot of adversity in their lives, and to live lives that they were told were impossible. As a little person, I have the potential to show kids that they can play, without being forced and without being pitied.”
Zach has his first national meet coming up in Greensboro, N.C., in December. More international events are coming, too. “I want to use the foothold I have now to raise awareness. And I very much want to help field an American/Canadian team to participate in the International Football Federation of Little People.” That’s soccer to us here in the U.S. – Zach’s first love.
Sounds like Zach has a lot to think about on the drive home.
