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Parker, Jason
- 2004 Olympic Trials, 1st-men's air
- 2003 Pan Am Games, gold medalist in 3x40
- 2003 Munich World Cup, gold medallist in air rifle (set new world record)
- 2002 World Champion in air rifle, bronze medal in team
- 2000 Olympic Games, 5th- air rifle
- Started shooting at age three after his father got him a BB gun. Began shooting competitively at age 12.
- Is a 1992 graduate from Bryan High School, Omaha. Earned a psychology degree from Xavier University in 1996.
- Enlisted in the army in 1997 and assigned to the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit in April 1997.
- His uncle, Buddy Hunter, played with the Boston Red Sox in the 1970s.
- Brother Zach was a member of the Nebraska University bowling team and has rolled several 300 games.
- Won the 2002 air rifle world title in a nerve-wracking shoot off with Jie Li of China.
- Says his parents, Dale and Sharon Parker, are his biggest shooting influences. (“They supported me when I got started in shooting, kept me going all the way through college. They still both help me a lot.”)
- Is called “King of the Air Rifle” by the U.S. coaching staff
- Is the director of the Fort Benning Junior Rifle Club.
- Was USA Shooting’s 2003 Athlete of the Year. The U.S. Army’s 2001 Male Athlete of the Year. Was the Military Marksmanship Association’s 2002 Solider of the Year.
- His wife Andrea gave birth earlier this year to their first child, Thomas Wade. Andrea was the best marksman of the college rifle team and set a school record at Xavier—one that Jason never beat.
- Has received many military awards including two Army Commendation Medals, to Army Achievement Medals, the Good Conduct Medal and the U.S. International Distinguished Shooter Badge.
This will be Jason’s second Olympic appearance. He finished fifth in the Sydney Games, missing a medal by only seven-tenths of a point. Disappointed with that result, he is determined more than ever to win an Olympic medal.
“That kind of disappointment just doesn’t go away,” he said. “ I still remember coming back from the last Olympics. People asked how I did, and I told them I finished fifth. They said, ‘How come you didn’t win?’”
“He was seven-tenths of a point away from winning a medal,” said his wife Andrea.” He came so close and was really disappointed. It was so heartbreaking to see how close he came. He doesn’t talk about it a whole lot. It’s a quiet goal.” “When I first stared shooting, my dad and mom always told me I was capable of winning an Olympic gold medal,” he said. “ I was 14 when I set my goal of being an Olympic gold medalist.”
Jason says he wants to win a medal in Athens to honor those fellow army soldiers who are fighting in Iraq.“In the marksmanship unit, we’re soldiers first,” he said. “Any time you hear something like that (soldiers dying) there is more pride in what you’re doing. You try that much harder.”
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Height: 5’9”
Born: 27-Jun-74
Resides: Cusseta, GA
Sport: Shooting
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