PARIS – Tracy Otto and Jason Tabansky looked at each other and took a deep breath after a dazzling first end from their opponents.

The Italian team of Dalia Dameno and Paolo Tonon left just two possible points on the board from the first four arrows, earning a 38-32 lead. Team USA’s archers couldn’t let that get in their heads.

“Honestly, we just remember to have fun,” said Otto. “We’re here to enjoy ourselves, obviously win medals, but at the end of the day, just do what we love to do.”

The 28-year-old fired off back-to-back tens with her next two shots. The U.S. was right back in the mix, cutting the Italian lead to one point halfway through the competition.

However, that was the closest that it got. The pair shot a 28 in the third end, including a four on Otto’s second shot. Italy continued to score well, with a 33 in the third end and a 37 in the fourth, taking a 139-126 victory in the Mixed Team W1 Quarterfinals.

“Archery is an individual sport,” said Tabansky. “You can’t control what other people do, you can only control what you do. So you go out there, you do your best, and sometimes even when you do shoot the best you’ve ever shot, that other person might shoot the best that they’ve ever shot and come out on top.”

Monday was not the best that Tabansky or Otto had ever shot. Not by a longshot. Less than 24 hours prior, Tabansky, a 16-year U.S. Army veteran, put on a glass slipper and went on a Cinderella run to win the individual gold medal.

Tabansky didn’t qualify for the Paralympics initially and only took the trip to Paris on nine weeks’ notice after Australia’s Chris Davis withdrew.

“My plan was to not stop training and not give up hope until the first arrow was shot in Paris,” said Tabansky. “Then, I was just going to go fishing.”

Instead of reeling in the fishing line, he reeled in a gold medal, with victories over Eugenio Santana Franco, reigning gold medalist David Drahoninsky, and Tonon to reach the final. With a gold medal on the line, needing an eight on his final shot to win, Tabansky delivered a ten.

The high-stress nature of archery, a sport where a tenth of a degree can be the difference between a legend and a no-name, took its toll on America’s newest hero in the mixed event.

“I think I’m a little worn out today,” admitted Tabansky. “So I’ll take a lot of that onus on me. I know that I can do better.”

For Otto, while she won’t be leaving the Paralympics with a medal around her neck, she will return home with a more important piece of jewelry.

On Friday night, in front of the Eiffel Tower, she said yes to her partner Rick’s proposal.

Five years on from her ex-boyfriend leaving her paralyzed, and just three years into what she hopes is a long archery career, she has made the most of her gained perspective on life.

“The community that I have around me now has just changed my entire outlook on life,” said Otto. “I just remember sitting on the line today, I was just telling myself that I believe in myself. Having that narrative in my mind has never really been there before. It felt really good to actually believe in myself.”

Monday’s loss will simply be a footnote in the stories of Tabansky and Otto. While the former returns to the Texan town of Boerne with gold, the latter has herself a brand new diamond.