USAMU Soldier Sets World Record, Wins Gold Medal in World Cup

photo of ParkerBy Paula J. Randall Pagán
U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Public Affairs Office

MUNICH, Germany - A soldier with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit has set a new world record. USAMU international rifle shooter Staff Sgt. Jason A. Parker triumphed over more than 100 of the world's best Air Rifle shooters to win the Gold Medal and set a new world record in the Men's Air Rifle event.

Parker shot a near-perfect score of 599 points out of a possible 600, which tied with Konstantin Prikhodtchenko of Russia. But in the finals, Parker shot a 103.5 out of a possible 109, beating the Russian shooter who scored a 101.5 in the finals. Parker's final score of 702.5 is 1/10th of a point above the former world record set by Leif Steinar Rolland of Norway in 2001. Parker set the former world record in 1998. The soldier will now compete in the USA Shooting National Championships at Fort Benning from June 19 to 28 and will travel to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to represent the United States in the Pan-American Games Aug. 2 to 9.

Parker is the Air Rifle World Champion and won an Olympic Quota Slot for the United States to compete at the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece, when he won the Gold Medal in Air Rifle at the World Cup in Atlanta, Ga., last year. The shooter, who is the Air Rifle National Champion, as well as the 300-Meter Standard Rifle National Champion, also won the title of World Military Rifle Champion at the 2001 Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) Shooting Championships in Lahti, Finland.

The 29-year-old, who attributes his success to his parents, was raised in Omaha, Neb., and graduated from Bryan High School of Omaha in 1992. He received a degree in psychology from Xavier University of Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1996, where he shot on the university's rifle team. He enlisted in the Army in January 1997 and was assigned to the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit International Rifle Team in April 1997 after he completed Basic and Infantry Training at Fort Benning.

"I couldn't be where I am today without the Army or the Army Marksmanship Unit," Parker said. "They provided every resource I needed to be where I'm at. To me, being a soldier means doing the right thing, and I would recommend the Army as a career to others."

In 1998, Parker set two world records in Air Rifle and was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. At the 2000 Olympics, the soldier competed in the Air Rifle competition and was one of the few shooters to make it to the finals. He ended up in fifth place, just missing an Olympic Medal by 7/10ths of a point.

"My three greatest shooting achievements are setting three world records, being the best CISM shooter and becoming an Olympian, and my present goal is to make the 2004 Olympic Team," Parker said. "Becoming an Olympian had been a dream of mine since I was a teen-ager and the Army gave me everything I needed to attain this goal. I tell young people who want to make it to the Olympics, "Once you have a dream of what you want to be, make a plan and stick with it, and remember it takes hard work and a lot of discipline."

(Formed in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to raise the standards of marksmanship throughout the U.S. Army, the Army Marksmanship Unit is assigned to the Accessions Support Brigade, U.S. Army Accessions Command, of Fort Monroe, Va. The Marksmanship Unit trains its soldiers to win competitions and enhances combat readiness through train-the-trainer clinics, research and development. The world-class soldier-athletes of the USAMU also promote the Army and assist recruiters in attracting young Americans to enlist in the Army. For more information on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, contact the Public Affairs Office at (706) 545-5436, paula.pagan@usarec.army.mil or http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/amu/.)