FRESNO, Calif. — The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics are over, and the U.S. finished on top of the medal leaderboard with 126.
One of those was a stunning gold medal won by a former athlete at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia. Quincy Hall ran the 400-meter men's race in 43 seconds, his personal best.
Other local accomplishments were also noted.
One of the 44 silver medals earned by the U.S. came from Sagen Maddalena, who competed in the women's 50-meter Rifle Three Positions competition. Maddalena grew up in the foothill community of Groveland, 60 miles north of Merced. She's also a sergeant in the U.S. Army and an instructor/shooter assigned to the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit.
During the competition, Maddalena was in a dead heat with Chiara Leone of Switzerland until the last shot. Maddalena spoke to KVPR's Elizabeth Arakelian and said that during that last shot, she didn't have too much on her mind.
"It was really just being in the moment, staying present with my process," said Maddalena. "There was no "what if" or "used to be" going on through my head. It was really just staying in the moment and staying action-focused."
Listen to the interview with the player on this page.
