Paris 2024: Sgt. Ivan Roe Targets Gold in Olympic Shooting Debut

For this member of the United States Army Marksmanship Unit, the Paris Games will be his first opportunity to compete for Olympic gold. Sgt. Ivan Roe qualified to make his Olympic debut this summer, representing the United States in both air rifle and three-position rifle.

According to Roe, who finished first in the final round of the three-position rifle Olympic Trials at Fort Moore in March, his success stems from his belief in his training routine. “I had a lot of thoughts going through my head, it’s a big mental hurdle to know that you are competing for an Olympic spot on the line,” Roe went on to say.

He went on to say, “I just really was committing to the process that I’ve been developing for the last couple of years and trusting in that, that it would get me to the end where I needed to be.”

Roe finished third in the air rifle qualifiers held in Anniston, Alabama in January. Roe has jobs to do while training for the Olympics, largely at Fort Moore. He intends to spend several hours at the range honing his form, particularly in the kneeling posture.

The marksman said that he could only “put a Band-Aid” on the problems during competition, but that more serious changes would come with practice.

In a sport with minimal margin for error, Roe is humble about his position among competitors. Minor tweaks anywhere could make the difference between medaling and missing the podium.

“I’m not sure if there is much that separates me from everyone else,” Roe went on to say. During the three-position rifle qualifiers, he battled against top marksmen from all over the country, including NCAA athletes and other US military members.

“I think that there are a lot of good shooters that all had a very, very good chance of winning qualification and taking the spot, becoming the Olympian,” Roe went on to say. “I just think that I possibly committed to my process a little bit more than they did.”

That procedure consists of both mental and physical training, as well as regular repetition. However, Roe is no stranger to shooting, having first picked up a gun at the age of seven.

Despite his young age, the athlete did not participate in competitive marksmanship until high school, when he competed for Manhattan High School in his birthplace of Manhattan, Montana. He eventually went on to compete at Murray State University in Kentucky, where he was a seven-time All-American from 2014 to 2018.

Roe stated that his former coaches had already informed him that they will be watching him compete online in Paris. The athlete said that he knows a few more supporters who will keep an eye on him at the Olympics.

“My wife and my family, they have supported me since day one and they come to matches and they watch online,” Roe went on to say. “Even when I’m halfway across the world and it’s 2 a.m. their time, they’re pulling up my targets to watch and see how I’m doing.”

In Paris, Roe is most enthusiastic about participating in the three-position rifle.

“Three-position is my favorite event. It’s like a puzzle; you have to solve it on the fly, whereas an air rifle is much more strict and disciplined,” Roe explained.

Although he prefers the three-position rifle, he has high expectations for his performance in both shooting events. Roe went on to say, “I do think I have a very good chance at medaling in both.”

To make that happen, Roe will need to shoot near-perfectly at the Paris Games. His Olympic competition debut came just two days after the Opening Ceremonies, in the men’s air rifle qualifications.