It’s Pistols in Paris as Olympic Shooter represents the U of U Women’s Team

Lexi Lagan represented the U of U in Paris at the Olympic Games. Photo: Solen Feyissa

PARIS — Alexis “Lexi” Lagan, 31, wasn’t able to qualify on Friday through to the finals of the Air Precision Pistol 25 meter women’s competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The class of 2017 alumna of the University of Utah competed on the school’s Pistol Marksmanship Team while simultaneously studying pre-law.

Now a lawyer, the Nevada native is competing in her second Olympics; she was also in the Tokyo Games.

Also on Friday, Lagan’s USA teammate, Californian Sagen Maddalena, won a silver medal in the shooting sports discipline of 50 meter Rifle. It was an. impressive performance as she came into the competition ranked 37th in the world. 

Not since the London 2012 Olympics had the American women medaled. Park City resident Carl Roepke, who, like Lagan attended the University of Utah, was the announcer for shooting sports at those London Olympics. 

“It was a thrill getting to call the Team USA gold in the London Olympics and both Lexi and Sagan should be very proud of their Paris performances on what is continually a talented American women’s shooting group of great athletes,”  he told TownLift.

That gold medal came in 2012 in the discipline of Skeet Shooting, which was held outdoors as opposed to Lagan’s indoor pistol competition.

Only eight women advanced out of the pistol qualifications and those eight will compete in the finals on Saturday, August 3. 

In Maddalena’s silver medal round, China took the bronze, and the 3rd-ranked Switzerland athlete won the gold. A notable Norway shooter has now three, fourth-place Olympic finishes in Rifle.