FIRST USA SHOOTING ATHLETES QUALIFY FOR OLYMPIC GAMES PARIS 2024
By Brittany Nelson, USAS Public Relations & Communications Manager
COLO SPGS, CO (Jan 11, 2024) – The first USA Shooting athletes, Ivan Roe, Mary Tucker, Sagen Maddalena, Alexis Lagan, and Katelyn Abeln, have qualified for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 after the conclusion of the third air gun trials selection match in Anniston, Alabama, Jan.7.
Ivan Roe, a Manhattan, Montana, native, will be making his Olympic debut in Paris for Men’s Air Rifle. Roe was a member of the 2023 International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Championship team and the 2022 Championships of the Americas (CAT) team where he earned a gold medal and an Olympic quota for the U.S. Roe is currently a sergeant in the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit at Fort Moore, Georgia.
“I am super excited,” said Roe. “This is a huge relief off of my shoulders. During the finals, I was just committing to the process. I wasn’t focused on Paris at all. I was just trying to shoot the best shot I could.”
Mary Tucker, a Tokyo 2020 silver Olympic medalist, will be making her second Games appearance in Paris for Women’s Air Rifle. Tucker, a Sarasota, Florida, native, most recently earned three medals at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. Tucker also brought home a gold medal at the 2023 ISSF World Championship where she helped set a new team record. Tucker has seen success worldwide having earned over 24 medals internationally.
Sagen Maddalena, of Groveland California, is also making her second Olympic Games appearance after competing in Tokyo. Maddalena qualified for the Paris team in Women’s Air Rifle. Maddalena saw a successful 2023 season. At the 2023 Pan American Games she was crowned Women’s Air Rifle champion and earned a total of three medals. She earned two more medals at the 2023 ISSF World Championship.
“This is pretty surreal, the competition was so tough,” said Maddalena. “I can’t believe I made it. I am proud of myself, and I think it’s awesome, but I worked for it. I definitely put in the miles and hours.”
Maddalena is currently a sergeant in the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit and previously shot for the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Alexis “Lexi” Lagan, a Boulder City, Nevada, native, is among the returning Olympians from the Tokyo 2020 Games. Lagan qualified in Women’s Air Pistol for the 2024 Games. She most recently earned a silver medal in the event at the 2023 Pan American Games where she also secured the U.S a quota for Paris. Lagan’s accomplishments don’t stop there. She is a three-time medalist from the 2022 CAT Games and a six-time national champion.
Katelyn Abeln, of Douglasville, Georgia, will be making her Olympic debut this year. Abeln, who currently shoots for The Ohio State University, also qualified in Women’s Air Pistol. Abeln was on the 2023 ISSF World Championship team and the 2022 CAT Games team, where she earned three medals.
“I don’t think it has sunk in yet,” said Abeln when asked how she felt about qualifying for her first Olympic Games. “I am very grateful all of this hard work has finally paid off. This has been the goal for the past four years and even since I started shooting.”
Abeln started shooting competitively when she was 12 years old. Her dad was her coach up until she started to shoot collegiately. Abeln mentioned that she is excited to represent the Red White and Blue on the Olympic stage.
View all official results from the U.S. Olympic Trials- Air Gun Shooting here.
Up next for USA Shooting are the U.S. Paralympic Trials Part Two in February followed by the U.S Olympic Trials- Shotgun Shooting Part Two and U.S. Olympic Trials- Rifle/Pistol Smallbore Shooting Part Three, both taking place in March.
The final Team USA roster for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 will be announced this summer, pending approval by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.
Follow @USAShooting on Facebook and Instagram for all updates on the team’s Path to Paris.
About USA Shooting
USA Shooting, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation was chartered by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the Olympic & Paralympic Shooting Sports in April 1995. The organization develops and implements programs to promote growth in the sport and serves as a sanctioning body for local and national competitions. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, USA Shooting has a full-time staff dedicated to our sport.