'I would destroy Olympians': Aussie cult hero Taymon Kenton-Smith knocks out world No.1
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Australian cult hero Taymon Kenton-Smith pulled off an epic comeback to knock out the world No.1 and qualify for the quarter-finals of the men's individual recurve open, but his reaction may have topped it.
Kenton-Smith defeated the world No.4 in the 1/16 elimination round before triumphing over Mexico's Samuel Molina 6-4 on Wednesday night (AEST).
He later defeated Geonhwi Kwak in his quarter-final, before losses in his semi-final and the bronze-medal match saw him finish fourth.
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Taymon Kenton-Smith of Team Australia in action in Paris. Alex Davidson via Getty Images
A colourful character of the Australian team, the 29-year-old interacted with spectators and enjoyed the songs between his shots, including AC/DC's T.N.T following his win over Molina.
"World No.4? Nah, that was too easy, let's go world No.1 and then let's beat him," Kenton-Smith told Nine after the 1/8 elimination round.
"That was absolutely amazing.
"Taking out the world No.1. Aw! I knew I could do it but to have actually done it — it feels surreal.
"Even if I don't win a medal now, I'm like, 'Is this real? I just beat two of the best archers in the world and these guys would destroy Olympians. I would destroy Olympians'.
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"The Paralympics is where it's at."
The golden-haired Queenslander, who competes with feathers in his hat, was the vibes captain at the Esplanade des Invalides.
Asked how he switches between pumping up the crowd to complete concentration for his shots, Kenton-Smith said performing to the audience helped him focus at the right times.
"That's part of the training for a high-performance athlete — to be able to disconnect and reconnect," he said.
"What I'm doing when I'm geeing up the crowd is I'm actually letting loose a lot of nervous energy inside me.
"I'm very tense when I go out for a match initially. So, to be able to cheer up the crowd and get them on my side actually allows me to release that energy in a constructive manner that does not offend the other athletes.
"It allows me to then reconnect when I'm having my shot and I don't have so much excess energy."
You could not wipe the smile off Taymon Kenton-Smith's face post-match. Nine
One of the commentators on the world feed took issue with Kenton-Smith's approach but Nine host Dylan Alcott leapt to his defence.
"The commentator said, 'Oh, I don't like that he's celebrating to Kylie Minogue before the arrow'," Alcott told Nine's broadcast.
"And I disagree because he's actually just being his authentic self, rather than trying and be someone he's not. He leant into someone that he was.
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"He relaxed and because of that, next thing you know he shot a bullseye.
"It was unbelievable. I hope he wins a medal. He's a legend."
Known for his vibrant hair-dos, Kenton-Smith is rocking bright yellow hair for the occasion.
"The only thing I'm dreaming about right now is the gold," he said.
