Montana’s Summer Olympians: A Historical Retrospective

Olympians from Montana have represented the state in a variety of events at the Summer Games for decades while Montanans have cheered them on.

Billings leads the number of representatives with six, four of whom competed in track and field. Next on the list? Great Falls has five summer Olympians, in four different sports. Bozeman and Missoula each have four, including one each this summer in Paris. The newest towns to help produce their first summer Olympian? Both Belgrade and Whitefish earned spots on the list in Tokyo and Manhattan joins the map during the 2024 Olympics.

But when you think of Montana athletes, what Olympic sport do you most associate with them? The answer is also the most successful sport for Montanans at the Summer Olympics throughout history — shooting. Ten athletes have competed in shooting at the Olympics, including Manhattan’s Ivan Roe who will make his debut in Paris.

Close behind in representation is track and field, also known internationally simply as athletics. It has been a part of the Olympic program since the reintroduction of the modern games in 1896 and since then, nine Montana athletes have competed.

In all, Montana athletes have competed in 11 Olympic sports at the Summer Games.

Now if considering medals by sport, there have been 13 earned by Montanans since 1964: six golds, two silvers, and five bronze.

The sport with the most success? Shooting. Montana competitors have earned five total medals in shooting, including three golds, two silvers, and one bronze.

The most successful summer Olympic competitor from Montana is also a shooter: Carter’s Lones Wigger Jr. He won three medals over his career: two golds and one bronze.

Wigger also competed at three Olympics (1964, 1968, and 1972), but qualified for four, the most of any Montana athlete. He’s been called the greatest shooter that the U.S. has produced, so much so that the training range at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs is named for him.