Photo By Lt. Col. Michelle Lunato | U.S. Army Sagen Maddalena, alongside her USA Shooting teammates, Morgan Kreb and...... read more read more
FORT BENNING, Ga. – Soldiers with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit International Rifle Team won four World Cup Medals in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, April 9-19.
Spc. Alison Weisz, a Belgrade, Montana native, kicked off the medal count for Soldiers in Rio by taking the Bronze Medal in the 10m Mixed Air Rifle Team event with her USA Shooting teammate, 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist Will Shaner.
The Mixed Team event, which is still fairly new on the international stage, is so unique for a sport that is so individual, said Weisz, who is a 2020 Olympian as well. “We are so used to competing solely on our own on these world stages, so to be standing along side someone, it creates a bit of a different dynamic.”
Different does not mean bad though. In fact, having a teammate can push you to excel even further, or allow you space to adjust when things are not quite right, said Weisz, explaining that her scores were not where they needed to be in the beginning of the Semifinal, but Shaner held strong. “He remained consistent while I worked through the Final to find the position required, helping bring us to the Bronze Medal. I was grateful for the opportunity to stand on the podium together.” (To watch the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Final, go to https://youtu.be/EDn2wXeiz1E.)
Shaner would stand on yet another podium later that day when he and his fellow civilian USA Shooting teammates, Rylan Kissel and 2020 Olympic Silver Medalist Lucas Kozeniesky, seized the Gold Medal in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Team event.
When the air rifle events concluded at World Cup Rio, the focus turned to the 50m three-position rifle events, sometimes referred to as smallbore.
Sgt. Sagen Maddalena was the next Fort Benning Soldier to medal. In fact, the Bronze Medal in the Women’s 50m Three-Position Rifle event was the first World Cup Medal for the Groveland, California native.
Earning a medal was no easy task though, according to Maddalena, who is also a 2020 Olympian. “The conditions on match day called for patience because the wind was pushing my body around.”
Like in practice at Fort Benning, the Soldier worked through the conditions and adjusted after some mistakes. “The simulation training I did back at home came to fruition once I made the Final.”
Maddalena didn’t stop at one medal though. The Soldier joined up with her civilian USA Shooting teammates, Morgan Kreb and fellow 2020 Olympian Mary Tucker, for the Women’s 50m Three-Position Rifle Team event. Once qualified for the Final, each teammate shot a rifle position. Kreb fired prone, Tucker fired kneeling and Maddalena fired standing. The trio beat out Switzerland for the Silver Medal, behind Norway.
Firing off the three strings of tens shots in each position (standing, kneeling, prone) during the short time limit of 35 minutes in the qualifying round was challenge, but Maddalena said that Team USA executed it well enough to make it into the Final. “Mary, Morgan, and I worked very well together In the qualifying round of the Woman's Team competition.”
Once in the Final, Maddalena said she fell short of her personal expectations, but was thankful for her teammates solid performance. “My teammates fired some solid shots to give us the Silver Medal.” (To watch the Women’s 50m Three-Position Rifle Final, go to https://youtu.be/UITxoQNhD3o.)
In the Men’s 50m Three-Position Rifle event, Team USA included Kozeniesky and USAMU’s Sergeants Tim Sherry and Ivan Roe. The trio qualified for the Semifinal, or Bronze Medal Match, and each athlete shot a position. Roe (a Manhattan, Montana native) fired prone, Kozeniesky fired kneeling and Sherry fired standing.
Competing in the Semifinal was an opportunity to prove performance under pressure, said Sherry, an Evergreen, Colorado native. “The Bronze Medal Matches are stressful since one team leaves with a medal and the other gets nothing.”
And when the Team USA fell behind in the beginning, we all had to dig deep, explained Sherry. “As a team, we were able to battle back from being down early in the medal match. It ended up in a tie on the last point, winner takes all.”
With such high stakes on the line, Sherry said he was proud of his overall performance at the World Cup. “Personally, I was really happy with how I handled the pressure of this international final. I think it’s a good stepping stone for other important competitions we have coming up later this year.” (To watch the Men’s 50m Three-Position Final, go to https://youtu.be/Pg7DtuQx1zQ.)
In the pistol portion of the World Cup, USA Shooting civilian Henry Leverett won the Bronze medal in the Men’s Rapid Fire Pistol event, bringing Team USA’s total medal count to six.
The USAMU International Rifle Team will compete in the ISSF Grand Prix in Granada, Spain May 20-29. Then, they will use smaller matches over the next couple of month to prepare for the next ISSF World Cup in Changwon, Korea July 9-22.
And with each of these competitions, Weisz said she gathers a lesson, and in true Soldier fashion, she tries to apply it to her next mission. “Moving forward, I’ll be directing my focus on some intense training, in hopes to bring home a medal in each event I compete in. Team USA has the ability to be a powerhouse and I’m ready for the rest of the world to see that.”
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.25.2022 15:53 |
| Story ID: | 419228 |
| Location: | FORT BENNING, GA, US |
| Hometown: | BELGRADE, MT, US |
| Hometown: | EVERGREEN, CO, US |
| Hometown: | GROVELAND, CA, US |
| Hometown: | MANHATTAN, MT, US |
| Web Views: | 195 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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