By Brittany Nelson, USAS Public Relations & Communications Manager
COLO SPRGS, CO (June 28, 2024) – Four rifle athletes are representing Team USA this summer at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, July 26- Aug. 11. The athletes are as follows: Rylan Kissell, Ivan Roe, Sagen Maddalena, and Mary Tucker.
Kissell, of Denver, Colorado, is the most recent athlete to qualify for the Games. Kissell finished second overall at the conclusion of the U.S. Olympic Trials- Air Gun Shooting in January, a three part competition. Kissell was recently confirmed as a qualified athlete in Men’s 10m Air Rifle for the Paris Games based on USA Shooting selection procedures.
Kissell will be making his Olympic debut in Paris this summer. The University of Alaska Fairbanks alumni discovered competitive shooting when he was 12 years old. He originally wanted to compete in the sport of biathlon, as he was an avid skier, but soon realized that cross country skiing was vastly different from the downhill skiing he enjoyed. After his college career, he became a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training center in Colorado, Springs, Colorado, to pursue his dream of making an Olympic team. Kissell has excelled in his shooting career and most recently earned two medals at the 2023 Pan American Games. In Paris he will be competing in Men’s 10m Air Rifle, Mixed Team Air Rifle, and Men’s 50m Smallbore Rifle.
Roe, a Manhattan, Montana, native, will also be competing in his first Olympic Games this summer. When Roe was just seven years old his dad signed him up for a marksmanship and firearm safety course. He fell in love with the sport of shooting and shot rifle for the Gallatin Valley Sharpshooters in Montana. Roe went on to shoot for Murray State University where he was a seven-time All-American. After college Roe joined the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) where his shooting career has soared. Roe, a sergeant in the Army, most recently earned an impressive six medals at the 2024 Championship of the Americas (CAT) Games. In Paris he will be competing in Men’s 10m Air Rifle, Mixed Team Air Rifle, and Men’s 50m Smallbore Rifle.
Maddalena, of Groveland, California, is making her second Olympic appearance this summer. The Tokyo 2020 Olympian was introduced to shooting through her local 4-H club. She started off with high-power rifles and eventually moved into Olympic style shooting. She walked on to one of the best rifle programs in the country at The University of Alaska Fairbanks, and red-shirted her first season in 2013. Maddalena’s success was evident throughout college as she was an eight-time All-American. After college Maddalena joined the USAMU and her international achievements started stacking up. Maddalena earned two medals at the 2023 World Championships, three medals at the 2023 Pan American Games and most recently four medals at the 2024 CAT Games. She currently holds the world record in Women’s 50m Smallbore Rifle. At the Games this summer she will be competing in Women’s 10m Air Rifle, Mixed Team Air Rifle, and Women’s 50m Smallbore Rifle.
Tucker, a Sarasota, Florida, native, is competing in her second Olympic Games in Paris. The West Virginia University alumni is a Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalist in Mixed Team Air Rifle. Her Olympic silver was added to her extensive collection of over 20 international medals. Tucker’s early experience of learning about Olympic style shooting is very unique. She took to YouTube to learn all about the sport. She watched international finals events and taught herself through the videos. Her early self-taught days have clearly paid off. She most recently earned three medals at the 2023 Pan American Games, including gold in Women’s 50m Smallbore Rifle. In Paris she will be competing in Women’s 10m Air Rifle, Mixed Team Air Rifle, and Women’s 50m Smallbore Rifle.
Peter Durben, of St. Paul, Minnesota, will be leading the team as the Olympic rifle coach for Paris. Durben was on the 1992 Olympic shooting team and is the U.S. national rifle coach.
The first rifle event for Paris 2024 is 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team and Women’s 10m Air Pistol on July 27. All finals events will be live streamed on Peacock, NBC’s streaming platform. See the whole Olympic shooting schedule here.
Olympic alternates for the U.S. Rifle Team are as follows:
- Men’s 10m Air Rifle: Lucas Kozeniesky and Tim Sherry
- Men’s 50m Smallbore Rifle: Nickolaus Mowrer and Peter Fiori
- Women’s 10m Air Rifle: Alison Weisz and Katie Zaun
- Women’s 50m Smallbore Rifle: Katie Zaun and Sarah Beard
The U.S. Olympic shooting team consists of 17 athletes and the U.S. Paralympic team of five. View the entire U.S. Olympic shooting team roster here and the Paralympic roster here.
Follow @USAShooting on Instagram, Facebook, and X to stay up to date as the team gears up for Paris 2024.