Former UAF riflery standout Sagen Maddalena claims silver medal at Paris Olympics

Olympians with ties to Alaska have shined bright at the 2024 Games in Paris this week.

Early Friday morning, the latest of the bunch to earn some hardware was former University of Alaska Fairbanks riflery standout Sagen Maddalena, who claimed a silver medal after finishing second in the women’s 50-meter rifle three positions shooting final.

The 30-year-old from Groveland, California, called Alaska home from 2013 to 2018, starring for the Nanooks — including being named UAF’s Most Outstanding Female Athlete in her final season.

With a mark of 10.1 on her final shot Friday, she earned a final score of 463.0, second only behind Chiara Leone of Switzerland. Leone claimed gold with a score of 464.4 after firing a 10.8 in her final shot of the final.

In her second-ever Olympic appearance, Maddalena became the third UAF rifle alum to win a medal at the Games, and the first in over a decade. She joins Matt Emmons — who won a gold, a silver and a bronze in 2004, 2008 and 2012, respectively — and Jamie (Beyerle) Gray, now Jamie Corkish, who won gold in women’s 50-meter rifle three positions shooting at the 2012 London Olympics.

At the Paris Games, Maddalena set an Olympic qualification record with a score of 593 in 50-meter rifle three positions shooting, which put her at the top of the list entering the final.

Maddalena is a U.S. Army sergeant who is also a shooting instructor for the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit.