If you speak things into existence, it may just happen.

That’s what Sagen Maddalena did, and what was the outcome? Winning her first Olympic medal.

Before she ever started competing with the world’s best, the American sport shooter often reminded herself of her goal — to perform at an elite level in the sport — in a unique way.

“Ten years ago, I remember writing an affirmation while I was an inexperienced athlete after reading a book and learning about mental management,” Maddalena said. “I wrote down on a notebook card, ‘I am the best standing shooter in the world.’ I wrote it down so many times for a year. To look back on that and see how it came true, it’s like you’re believing it to happen way before this journey starts.”

Friday, Aug. 2 might have been an ordinary day for most people, but for Maddalena, it meant the world to her.

She won silver in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, narrowly missing out on gold by 1.4 points. Prior to that, the 30-year-old had won an intense shoot-off to have the opportunity to compete for gold.  

It marked Maddalena’s first Olympic medal at only her second Games for the U.S. 

“Winning silver was kind of a moment where I didn’t really know what to think,” she said. “I knew it was possible and so many people believed in me. I had that belief also that I could achieve my goal of being able to podium at the Olympics. But to have it come true, it almost felt like it was meant to be. I owned the moment. I came in second so I didn’t win it outright, but I was able to handle my mistakes very well and climb back up to the top.”

“I was so close to gold,” she added. “That would have been quite the achievement, but I'm happy with what I got.”

Shooting is a sport where a winner is decided by razor-thin margins. Room for mistakes is monumentally small and athletes must be nearly — if not completely — perfect when shooting on the range to even have a chance of standing on the podium.

Knowing that she can consistently compete against elite sport shooters from across the world makes the feeling of winning an Olympic medal that much more special for Maddalena. 

“The margin between first and third is so small,” she said. “But just having the opportunity to compete at the Olympics was huge for me and to also make the team. I’m happy I was able to perform well, do my job, do the work and have everything turn out pretty well. That was a special moment.” 

After becoming an eight-time All-American from 2014-18 during her NCAA career at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Maddalena joined the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit as a shooter instructor in March 2019. 

Even when she was in the military, Maddalena never lost sight of her Olympic goals.

She made the Olympic team for the 2020 Tokyo Games but placed fifth in her event and missed out on winning a medal. 

Maddalena continued to work on her game, and it showed in the shooting events after Tokyo. She won gold and set a new world record in the women’s team 50m rifle 3 positions event at the 2023 ISSF World Championships, then followed up that success by winning two gold medals in the women’s 50m smallbore rifle and 10m air rifle events at the 2024 CAT Games.

“It has been a journey, I’ve been through the smooth times and the crazy times,” Maddalena said. “My ability took a big growth spurt when I went to Tokyo and placed fifth. That was a huge accomplishment for me and I used it as fuel for the fire. After Tokyo, I felt the flame lit that fire in my belly and I’ve been riding it ever since. Now, to come out on top in Paris, that was pretty cool.”

The newly minted Olympic medalist knows the importance of not only representing the U.S. at the Games, but also succeeding in your sport. To now be in the category of many famous U.S. Olympic medal winners makes Maddalena’s accomplishment a surreal feeling for her.

“It’s humbling to know that I’m following in the footsteps of not just athletes in the history of shooting at the Olympics, but also the many other athletes in other sports,” she said. “I’m grateful for the experience and the opportunity to be part of it. 

"'Humbling' and 'grateful' are the two words I would describe what it means for me to win an Olympic medal.”