Ivan Roe, 28, is a rifle player for the United States national team. Roe is from Manhattan, Montana, and he serves in the Army’s Marksmanship Unit. Roe qualified for the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Olympic Team in Paris 2024.
Early and Family Life of Ivan Roe
Ivan Roe was born on January 9, 1996, in Manhattan, Montana to parents Edward Roe and Sharon Roe. He is now 28 years old as of 2024. He was raised in the small town of Manhattan along with his two siblings, Arwyn and Chase Roe.
Roe attended and graduated from Manhattan High School in his hometown. He was at the top of his graduating class academically.
He went on to Murray State University where he graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Aquatic Biology/Fisheries and a minor in Environmental Engineering. Roe was an academic Olympic team captain for the rifle team in his junior and senior years.
After earning his college degree, Roe decided to continue his shooting career by joining the U.S. Army. His successful college shooting resume allowed him to receive a direct appointment to the Army Marksmanship Unit after completing basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia in July 2019.
“Being in the Army, I train from 7:30 a.m. to noon. That’s my time to train. That’s what I am supposed to be doing. That is my job.”
Ivan Roe said.
Ivan Roe qualified for the Men’s Air Rifle Shooting event at the 2024 Paris Olympics!
Ivan Roe earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic shooting team for the 2024 Paris Olympics after finishing in the top three at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for air gun shooting. The trials took place at the Civilian Marksmanship Program facility in Anniston, Alabama from January 5-7, 2024.
Roe won two out of the three quota spots available for the men’s 10-meter air rifle event. This will be Roe’s first time competing at the Olympic games.
He secured a spot on the U.S. Olympic roster, and Roe was overcome with emotion. He told USA Shooting that he felt “relief, excitement…and giddiness,” and “started shaking” when he was qualified to Paris.
Roe joins fellow qualifiers including Mary Tucker, Sagen Maddalena, Alexis “Lexi” Lagan, and Katelyn Abeln. Of these top air rifle shooters, only Roe and Abeln will be first-time Olympians in Paris.
Roe’s Junior Shooting Career
When Ivan was seven years old, his father enrolled him in a hunter’s safety course where he learned marksmanship, firearm education, and proper shooting techniques. He immediately fell in love with the sport and started competing for the Gallatin Valley Sharpshooters Club in Montana.
As a junior marksman, Roe continued to progress in the sport. He placed 15th at the 2014 Junior Olympics, recording strong scores of 610.4 across both days of competition.
“Originally, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play soccer or shoot rifle in college, but I knew I wanted to do one of them,”. “It wasn’t until USA Shooting’s Winter Airgun my senior year, talking to college coaches, that I really realized that not only did I want to compete in college, but I could be really good at it too.”
Roe explained.
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Roe competed for Murray State University’s rifle team from 2014-2018. He built on his junior foundation, earning three international medals and seven National Collegiate shooting medals during his NCAA career.
“I looked for ways to continue, so it was either the (U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado) or the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, and chose the Army path.”
Roe said.
Despite a successful college career, Roe came up short of making the Team USA lineup for both the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Ivan Roe’s Comeback after the failure of the previous Olympics
After failing to make the Olympic team in 2016 and 2020, Ivan Roe put his efforts and hard work into training across several shooting disciplines. His dedication paid off in 2022 when he won gold in the men’s 50-meter rifle 3 positions event at the Championships of the Americas. This big victory also earned the U.S. a quota spot for that event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Additionally in 2022, he was crowned World Champion alongside teammate Sagen Maddalena in the 50-meter Rifle-Prone mixed team event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championship.
Roe was also a member of the 2023 U.S. ISSF World Championship team. When not competing, Roe serves his country as a sergeant in the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit based at Fort Moore, Georgia. The structured military training regimen keeps his skills sharp.
His hard work has paid dividends, earning qualification for his first Olympic games. He is set to make his Olympic debut on July 27, 2024 – the day after the Opening Ceremony.
