Olympic silver medalist, U.S. Army markswoman reflects on win

FORT MOORE, Ga. ( WRBL ) — A Fort Moore markswoman makes her return to Georgia from Paris with a little more in her luggage than she left with. Sagen Maddalena, recently promoted to the rank of Staff Sargent, earned a silver medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in women’s 50-meter three-position rifle.

Usually a stoic competitor, Staff Sgt. Madalena of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit was all smiles as she sat down. Around her neck, the silver medal which features a piece of the Eiffel Tower, serves as a reminder of her accomplishment.

“Man. It was like, ‘Whoa,’” Maddalena said. She continued, “There’s a lot of joy and excitement and just overall happiness, I think. Usually, I hold that on the inside. And I was just able to just express it on the outside and just really feel those, those exciting and happy emotions.”

Having missed the podium in women’s three-position rifle, placing fifth at the Tokyo Games, Maddalena’s win comes after years of hard work. She is the first U.S. woman to medal in the event since the London 2012 Games .

As she takes a short break from training to soak in her win and clear her mind, Maddalena is grateful for her community. She has been showing her new Olympic hardware off to Marksmanship Unit teammates, family, friends and more.

“I’m just happy to let everyone see it, touch it, hold it, you know, do whatever. Because, because it’s such a shared effort, I couldn’t get it on my own,” Maddalena said.

Since she got back to post last week, the athlete been approached by fellow soldiers, church members and grocery store goers, all of them offering congratulations on her Olympic medal.

“It reminds me that, again, it’s — it’s not just a one-person thing … It’s for the for the army, for the US, for Columbus, for my hometown, Groveland,” Maddalena said.

Originally from Groveland, Calif., the athlete is looking at the idea of competing in her home state at the 2028 Olympic Games in L.A. Instead of focusing on the pressure of potentially competing in her home country and home state, Maddalena is using it for motivation.

“I’m more using it as just the push of, ‘Yes, let’s compete for the US, for the for California, for my hometown,’” she said.

She is already adjusting her training to reflect what she learned at the Paris Games.

After setting an Olympic Qualifying Record in the initial stages of the three-position rifle competition, Maddalena had ups and downs during the finals round of the event she medaled in. At one point, she dropped from first- to fifth place.

Mistakes during her other events – women’s 10-meter air rifle and mixed team air rifle with Marksmanship Unit teammate Sgt. Ivan Roe – cost her podium finishes in a sport where only the slightest errors can separate winners and losers.

The markswoman said one of her primary focuses going forward will be working on mindset. It was a steady focus on just the next shot which secured Maddalena her win in three-position rifle at the games.

If she makes it to L.A., she’s also preparing for the unique competitive environment. Usually a sport which doesn’t call in heavy crowds of spectators, shooting at the Olympic level can attract significant crowds, and with them, noise.

“I know it’s going to be intense. … There’s going to be a lot of distractions,” Maddalena said. “I’m just prepping my mind for it already and I’m excited.”

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