Sagen Maddalena, 30, is an American sport shooter. Currently, she represented the United States at the Paris Olympics 2024, she previously represented at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Sagen Maddalena’s Family supports her sports
Born on August 16, 1993, in Woodland, Maddalena moved to Tuolumne County at age 6 with her supportive parents Randy and Susan Maddalena, as well as older siblings Marty who is a Natural Resource Management. The family lives together on a 5-acre farm east of Groveland where Maddalena grew up immersed in 4H activities raising livestock.
Maddalena’s father Randy appreciates the role of their local community in teaching his daughter strong social skills in shooting from a young age. Recently in Chile with Maddalena for the 2023 Pan Am Games events, Randy fondly recalls her reminding him of the Grizzlies junior shooting team practices where she got her start.
Sagen’s father said he watched his daughter shooting Wednesday in Santiago.
“There are small flags set up along each shooting lane to show the wind direction,”
Randy Maddalena said.
“The flags were generally showing a steady wind during the match, but at one point, the flags started to flutter like the wind couldn’t make up its mind.”
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When Randy travels to competitions, her mother Susan Maddalena continues to support her from their Groveland home. She said that her daughter needs to earn an Olympic quota spot for Paris 2024.
“She will have a vigorous shooting schedule the next several months,”
Susan Maddalena said.
Maddalena graduated from Keyes to Learning Charter School in 2012. During her accomplished NCAA career at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Management in 2018, Maddalena made the World Championship team in both 2014 and 2018.
Maddalena Wins Gold at 2023 Pan Am Games, Qualifying for Paris 2024 Olympics Spot
At the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, standout American shooter Sagen Maddalena captured gold in the 10-meter air rifle event. With a Games-record score of 249.5.
While Maddalena topped the podium, the victory also secured Argentina’s Fernanda Russo the first Paris 2024 Olympics quota spot for their country.
This is because the United States had already filled its two allotted athlete quota spots in that event based on previous strong results. Russo took silver, while USA’s Mary Tucker claimed bronze.
By scoring 249.5 points under pressure at Santiago’s Lo Aguirre range complex, Maddalena surpassed compatriot Alison Weisz’s previous Pan Am Games record of 249.4 set in 2019. She still fell shy of Chinese world champion Jiayu Han’s record of 254, however.
Sagen Maddalena’s Career Till now
Maddalena first gained competitive shooting experience with the California Grizzlies 4H junior squad, serving as team captain while mastering service rifle fundamentals. Her supportive grandfather Greg Moore notably imparted vital gun safety and shooting knowledge during this period. Her grandmother, Betty Moore, also watched her granddaughter compete in the final live on TV with family at their Groveland Home.
She attended a Highpower National Match event in 2010 at age 17. Maddalena’s skills earned Distinguished Rifleman honors from the renowned Civilian Marksmanship Program the next year.
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Maddalena soon became an NCAA shooting standout at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Following her coach’s advice to gain exposure on the global stage, her dominance at the 2014 World Cup trials earned her a spot to compete internationally during college. Maddalena enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2019.
Alongside her 50m Rifle Three Positions top 30 finish at the 2018 World Championships, selection to Team USA for Tokyo 2020 gave Maddalena invaluable Olympic experience to fuel future medal pursuits.
Sagen Maddalena at Pan America and Paris Olympics 2024
After winning the gold medal in the 10-meter Air Rifle event at the 2023 Pan America Games, Sagen Maddalena further participated on the podium in two additional competitions in Chile.
She added 249.5 points in the 10-meter final – a new Pan Am Games record – Maddalena went on to claim silver in the 50-meter Smallbore event after tallying 457.2 points. The US Army Sergeant then combined with teammate Gavin Barnick in the mixed 10-meter Air Rifle duo competition to secure bronze for Team USA, thanks to their collective score of 622.6.
Sagen Maddalena Additional Record-Breaking Career
- 2011 Civilian Marksmanship Program Distinguished Rifleman
- 4-Time NRA First Team All-American in Air Rifle (2014-2018)
- 3-Time NRA First Team All-American in Smallbore Rifle (2015-2018)
- 3-Time First Team All-American by Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association (2016-2018)
- 2015-2018 NCAA Rifle Championship Competitor
- 2-Time University of Alaska Fairbanks Scholar-Athlete of the Year
