FORT MOORE, Ga. (WRBL) — Last month, multiple members of the Fort Moore, Ga.-based U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics in not one, but two disciplines. .
For Sgt. For Sagen Maddalena, qualification in air rifle and three-position rifle means a second chance at Olympic gold.
The marksman placed fifth in the three-position rifle at the 2021 Olympics, earning him his first berth to the Tokyo Olympics. She remembers sitting in her hotel room three years ago setting this Olympic quadruple goal.
“I'm like, 'In 2024, I'm going to get both guns.' “I'm going to make this happen,” Maddalena told Nexstar's WRBL. “And I made it happen.”
Maddalena earned a spot in the three-position rifle following the final round of qualifying held in Fort Moore in March. She had already qualified to represent the United States in air rifle in the final round of the Olympic Trials. for that The event was held in Anniston, Alabama in January.
The athlete hit his shots with near-perfect precision and precision to earn his second Olympic berth, but he was not entirely satisfied with his performance. Maddalena said he struggled with the standing portion of the competition (the three rifle positions are performed in kneeling, standing and prone positions) after tweaking his wrist.
Reflecting on the results after the tournament, Maddalena explained that there is a fine line between being constructive and being overly critical in a sport where there is little room for error.
She said: “We strive to be the best in a perfectionist sport. We can't be too hard on ourselves because small mistakes can have a big impact on our scores.”
Athletes feel that improving their standing performance is within reach.
“I've been training the standing position for a long time, so I'm waiting for it to be there. It's right there,” Maddalena said. “When the time comes, I know I can succeed because I have the experience and have failed so many times.”
As a member of USAMU, Maddalena has the opportunity to photograph almost every day as part of her job. But her dreams of the Olympics didn't even cross her mind until a few years ago.
“I had always dreamed of becoming a soldier and serving my country,” Maddalena said.
Many of her friends were in the Army and she felt called to military service. Her interest in high-level competitive shooting began when she began considering attending college.
“I was competing in another rifle competition – not this one. [three-position rifle] Especially at that time, I wanted to stick to that,” Maddalena said. “But one day I was having a conversation with someone and I started thinking about college. After that, things just started to change. ”
The athlete earned a bachelor's degree in natural resource management from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and also competed on the school's shooting team. During his time at UAF, Maddalena was an eight-time All-American. He was the world champion twice from 2014 to 2018.
She said she was proud to represent her home country, USAMU, and her hometown of Groveland, Calif., at the Paris Games. When she returned from the Tokyo Olympics, the town of less than 1,000 people held a parade in her honor.
Maddalena had the support of her family and friends when she competed in the 2021 Tokyo Games. Since then, she said, her community has grown by leaps and bounds.olympian She added that it is her community that gives her purpose.
“I'm not just going for myself, but for everyone in the community,” Maddalena said.
Ahead of the Paris Games, Maddalena wants to focus on a winning performance. She admitted that even top-level athletes get nervous.
“Our heart starts beating, but no one sees it, but we feel it,” Maddalena said, patting her chest to imitate the heartbeat.
She continued, “We're feeling it and we're like, 'Okay, let's use this energy to focus.'” My heart won't stop beating. This will help you focus a little more on that goal. ”
At the last Olympics, Maddalena missed out on the podium. This year, she has her sights set on her gold medal.
