PARIS - The Alaska Nanooks will be represented at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games this week. Both Rylan Kissell and Sagen Maddalena of the Nanooks rifle team were selected to represent Team USA in shooting.

Kissell, a Denver, Colo. native, is making his Olympic debut in Paris. He is competing in Men's 10m Air Rifle, Mixed Team Air Rifle and 50m Smallbore Rifle. During his time at Alaska, Kissell was a seven-time All-American, the 2023 individual air rifle champion, a member of the 2023 NCAA Championship team and the CRCA Most Valuable Shooter. He was also the 2022 CRCA Shooter of the Year and wrapped up his career with the Nanooks with four 600's in air rifle, including the first-ever perfect score at the NCAA Championships in 2023. 

Internationally, Kissell has earned gold medals in Men's Air Rifle at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games, in Men's 50m 3 Positions Rifle at the 2022 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championships, in Mixed Team Air Rifle at the 2023 Pan American Games, and in Mixed Team Air Rifle and Men's 10m Air Rifle at the 2024 Championship of the Americas (CAT) Games. Additionally, he picked up silver medals in the 2023 Pan American Games and the 2024 Meyton Cup in Men's Air Rifle and Men's 10m Air Rifle, respectively. He is a seven-time bronze medalist.

Maddalena, who hails from Groveland, Calif., is making her second appearance at the Olympic Games after placing fifth overall in Women's 50m 3 Positions Rifle at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games. In Paris, she will be competing in Women's 10m Air Rifle, Mixed Team Air Rifle and Women's 50m Smallbore Rifle. At Alaska, Maddalena was an eight-time All-American and seven-time First Team All-American from 2014-2018. She appeared at the NCAA Rifle Championships four times with the Nanooks.

After her appearance at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, she continued her international success when she earned silver in Women's 10m Air Rifle at the 2021 ISSF New Delhi World Cup. In 2022, Maddalena secured a pair of medals in the ISSF World Championships, earning gold in Mixed Team 50m Prone Rifle and bronze with the Women's Air Rifle Team. During the 2022 CAT Games, she received gold medals in Women's 10m Air Rifle, 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team, 10m Air Rifle Women's Team, 50m Prone Rifle, 50m Prone Rifle Mixed Team and 50m 3 Positions Rifle Women's Team. In 2023, she earned a gold medal while setting a new world record with the Women's 50m 3 Positions Rifle Team with a score of 1774-102x. During this year's CAT Games, Maddalena medaled four times, securing gold medals in Women's 50m Smallbore Rifle, Women's 10m Air Rifle and 50m Prone Rifle while earning silver in Mixed Team Air Rifle.

Both Kissell and Maddalena will begin with 10m Air Rifle Mix Team Qualifications on Saturday, July 27 at 9:00 a.m. CEST (Friday, July 26 at 11:00 p.m. AKST). The medal matches will continue the same day, with the bronze medal match starting at 10:30 a.m. CEST (12:30 a.m. AKST) and the gold medal match following shortly thereafter. The Women's 10m Air Rifle Qualifications are set to begin on Sunday, July 28 at 9:15 a.m. CEST (Saturday, July 27 at 11:15 p.m. AKST). The Final takes place Monday, July 29 at 9:30 a.m. CEST (Sunday, July 28 at 11:30 p.m. AKST). For Men's 10m Air Rifle, the qualification round begins Sunday, July 28 at 11:15 p.m. CEST (1:15 a.m. AKST). The Final is scheduled for Monday, July 29 at noon CEST (2:00 a.m. AKST). Men's 50m 3 Positions Smallbore Rifle qualifications kick off on Wednesday, July 31 at 9:00 a.m. CEST (Tuesday, July 30 at 11:00 p.m. AKST). The Final will be held the following day, with the round beginning at 9:30 a.m. CEST (Wednesday, July 31 at 11:30 p.m. AKST). Finally, the Women's 50m 3 Positions Smallbore Rifle qualifying round starts on Thursday, August 1 at noon CEST (2:00 a.m. AKST), with the final scheduled for Friday, August 2 at 9:30 a.m. CEST (Thursday, August 1 at 11:30 p.m. AKST).

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