PARIS, France — Sagen Maddalena won a silver medal in the women's 50-meter rifle three positions shooting at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on Friday.
The California native secured the first U.S. shooting medal on the seventh day of competition, ending what was tied with 1988 for the country's longest drought in the sport at a single Olympics.
The event involves shooting while kneeling, prone and standing.
“I made a couple of mistakes,” said Maddalena, who set an Olympic record in the qualifying round on Thursday. "We are all amazing shooters, but it is the pressure in finals that makes it hard to get the mind right. I’m going to take this, learn from it, keep working on my headspace and enjoy the ride.”
Chiara Leone of Switzerland won the country's first gold of the Paris Games, setting an Olympic Record and edging out Maddalena by 1.4 points. China’s Zhang Qiongyue took bronze.
Maddalena just missed the podium in an earlier event, getting 4th in the women's 10-meter air rifle.
There are 131 athletes from California who qualified for and are in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games. Team USA includes 10 athletes from the Greater Sacramento region.
Here’s a look at how Sagen Maddalena did in her events:
- July 27 - 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Qualifier: Finished 18th with teammate Ivan Roe.
- July 28 - 10m Air Rifle Women's Qualifier: Finished 7th to advance to the finals.
- July 29 - 10m Air Rifle Women's Final: Finished 4th.
- Aug. 1 - 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women's Qualifier: Tied for 1st, advanced to finals.
- Aug. 2 - 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women's Final: Won a silver medal
All About Maddalena
Maddalena was born in Woodland and lists Groveland as her hometown. She attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
She said she didn't think about competing in the Olympics until she attended college.
"My coach at the time had suggested changing disciples to one that would take me to the Olympics if I got good enough," she said in a profile on U.S. Army Marksmanship's YouTube.
Maddalena is a sergeant with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit. She enlisted in 2019. The team trains soldiers, also competes in competitions, and showcases their skills to recruit soldiers.
Maddalena competed on the U.S. team in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where she finished fifth in the 50m Rifle 3 positions competition.
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