By Miguel Ortiz
The 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Paris, France, have the world’s best athletes and coaches coming together to compete for gold. Among them are soldiers of the U.S. Army: seven active-duty soldiers competing in the Olympics, two active-duty soldiers competing in the Paralympics, and three competing in the Paralympics in August.
From rugby and wrestling to shooting and swimming, here are 12 soldiers to cheer for in Paris.
1. Staff Sgt. Rachel Tozier, Army Marksmanship Unit – Shooting, Olympic Trap
Staff Sgt. Tozier started shooting at the age of 12; her stepfather installed a trap range in their front yard. Although she was initially hesitant, Tozier grew to love the sport and became an instructor/shooter with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit’s Shotgun Team at Fort Moore, Georgia. She secured her ticket to the Olympics at USA Shooting’s two-part Shotgun Olympic Trials in Tucson, Arizona where she competed against the top 64 shooters in the nation. In her senior year of high school, Tozier sets herself the goals of captaining the Women’s All-American Team for the Trap Shooting Association and competing in the Olympics. “My new goal is to win Gold in Paris,” she said in an Army news story.
2. Staff Sgt. William Hinton, Army Marksmanship Unit – Shooting, Olympic Trap
Staff Sgt. Hinton comes from a family of shooters and hunters. He grew up hunting which led him to competitive shooting in middle school. He competed against 163 other marksmen at the Shotgun Olympic Trials to earn his spot in the Men’s International Trap Event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. After joining the Army Marksmanship Unit in 2016, Hinton achieved his goal of making it onto the Olympic Team. “I’m very happy to make an Olympic Team; this is my first team…and now my goal is to make another Olympic team,” he said in an Army news story.
3. Sgt. Sagen Maddalena, Army Marksmanship Unit – Shooting, Olympic Trap
Sgt. Maddalena credits a 4-H club for teaching her marksmanship basics, her grandfather for teaching her patience, and the Army for teaching her discipline. She competed in high-power rifle shooting with the California Grizzly’s Service Rifle Team and collegiate air rifle and smallbore shooting with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She joined the Army’s Field Artillery branch and completed Basic Combat Training in March 2019 before getting assigned to the Army Marksmanship Unit. “My reasons for joining the Army were to challenge myself, experience new opportunities, excel as a competitive shooter, and to join a team that would push and support me on my path to the Olympics,” she said in an Army news story. Tozier placed 5th in small bore at the Tokyo Olympics. Since then, she earned five Bronze Medals, two Silver Medals, and nine Gold Medals at international shooting competitions. Tozier also earned the Air Rifle and Smallbore National Champion titles in 2022, the first shooter to win both in the same year.
4. Sgt. Ivan Roe, Army Marksmanship Unit – Shooting, 50m smallbore rifle & 10m air rifle
Sgt. Roe took his first gun safety and hunter’s education class at the age of seven. At the age of 28, he’s going up against the best shooters in the world at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Roe competed against 77 other marksman at USA Shooting’s three-part Rifle Olympic Trials to earn his spot on Team USA. He traveled across Montana competing in junior shooting matches before shooting at the collegiate level for Murray State University in Kentucky. Roe won three international medals and seven National Collegiate Athletic Association All-American titles. After college, Roe’s shooting record earned him a direct appointment to the Army Marksmanship Unit after completing Infantry One Station Unit Training at then-Fort Benning, Georgia in July 2019. Earning a spot on Team USA was Roe’s greatest challenge. “It takes a lot of hard work, but you can get there,” he said in an Army news story. “I did not think when I was nine years old that I would be an Olympian – I wanted to be one – but I didn’t think I was going to.”
5. Capt. Samantha Sullivan, World Class Athlete Program – Women’s Rugby
Capt. Sullivan attended the U.S. Military Academy and played rugby for the West Point Black Knights. After commissioning as an Engineer Officer, Sullivan became part of the Army World Class Athlete Program. WCAP provides unique opportunities for elite Soldier-Athletes to pursue and achieve their Olympic dreams. Sullivan helped Team USA achieve victory at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile in November 2023 and is now going to Paris as an Olympian. “WCAP has provided me with the outlet to not only hone my athletic ships but my leadership skills as well,” Sullivan said in an Army news story. “I am beyond grateful to WCAP for giving me the chance to represent my country at the highest level.”
6. Staff Sgt. Leonard Korir, World Class Athlete Program – Track and Field, Marathon
Originally from Kenya, Korir attended Tambach Teachers College where Coach Colm O’Connell took note of his running ability and encouraged Korir to apply for a scholarship to Iona College in New York. There, in 2011, Korir earned an NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championship in the 10,000-meter event and an Indoor Track and Field Championship in the 5,000-meter event. His scholarship and success in the U.S. drove Korir to join the Army. “I wanted to give back. I want to make the Olympic team and represent the U.S. and the Army,” he said in an Army news story. Korir’s sister also ran in college and joined the Army as a nurse. A trained motor transport operator, Korir’s goal is to retire from the Army and eventually coach other WCAP runners. After placing 14th in the 10,000-meter event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Korir is returning to the games in Paris and hopes to win the New York or Boston Marathon in the future.
7. Spc. Kamal Bey, World Class Athlete Program – Greco-Roman Wrestling, 77kg
Spc. Bey started wrestling when he was three years old. His father signed him up for a local Chicago club and Bey fell in love with the sport. Bey wrestled at Oak Park and River Forest High School where he became a USAW Greco-Roman champion as well as Illinois state champion in folkstyle wrestling. In 2021, Bey joined the Army as a Culinary Specialist and WCAP as a member of the wrestling team. This allowed Bey to compete at the Pan American Games in November 2023 where he won his first gold international medal. “I am proud to embody the spirit of excellence, service, and determination as I march forward in both my Army career and Olympic quest,” Bey says on his WCAP profile.
8. Master Sgt. Dennis Bowsher, World Class Athlete Program – Modern Pentathlon, Coach
In 2012, then-Spc. Bowsher was the only American man to qualify for the modern pentathlon in the 2012 London Olympics. The WCAP Olympian won numerous Gold medals at National Championships in the modern pentathlon career. During the 2016 Rio and 2020 (2021) Tokyo Olympics, Bowsher served as the U.S. Olympic Assistant Coach. In Paris, Master Sgt. serves as the Head Coach for modern pentathlon. “It’s an honor to wear the uniform and the Olympic rings, showcasing the power of perseverance and patriotism,” Bowsher says on his WCAP profile.
9. Sgt. 1st Class Spenser Mango, World Class Athlete Program – Wrestling, Coach
Sgt. 1st Class Mango started his athletic career in football before turning to wrestling. He won high school state before he went t the U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan University. There, Mango earned a Bachelor’s in Physical Education. During his college years, Mango made two world teams as well as his first Olympic team in 2008. After college, Mango joined the Army in 2010 and made the 2012 Olympic team and four more world teams. In 2016, Mango retired from wrestling and transitioned to coaching. He served as the U.S. Olympic Coach for Greco-Roman Wrestling at the 2020 games and returns in 2024 to coach in Paris. “Being a Soldier-athlete is a great honor,” Mango says on his WCAP profile. “There is nothing better than being able to represent your country, not just in your sport, but also as a Soldier in the United States Army.”
10. Sgt. 1st Class John Wayne Joss III, World Class Athlete Program – Shooting, R6 50m rifle prone SH1
Sgt. 1st Class Joss enlisted as an Indirect Fire Infantryman. Although a 2007 combat injury required a right lower leg amputation, Joss persisted and remained in the Army. In 2011, while attending the Warrior Leader Course at then-Fort Benning, Georgia, he was approached about joining the Army shooting team. The next year, Joss earned a spot in the Army Marksmanship Unit. Since then, he has won multiple World Cups and competed in the 2016 and 2020 Paralympic Games; Joss joined WCAP in 2017. Competition has allowed Joss to excel after his injury and forge bonds with fellow shooters. “I am excited and ready to represent the country and the Army at the Games,” Joss said in an Army news story. “I am excited to see a lot of athletes again that I have been shooting with over these 12 years.”
11. Staff Sgt. Kevin Nguyen, World Class Athlete Program – Shooting, R6 50m rifle prone SH1
Staff Sgt. Nguyen enlisted in the Army in 2011. After OSUT, he deployed to Afghanistan with the 2nd Infantry Division’s 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team. Three months into his deployment, Nguyen was wounded by a pressure plate IED during a dismounted foot patrol. He spent the next two years recovering at the Warrior Transition Unit at the San Diego Naval Medical Hospital. After he recovered, Nguyen was allowed to remain on active duty and was assigned to the Army Marksmanship Unit in 2014. Three years later, he joined WCAP. Nguyen has won multiple national and international shooting medals and made his Paralympic debut in Tokyo in 2021. Now attending his second Games, Nguyen takes more experience and discipline with him. “Tokyo, by far, was the most nerve-racking match I have ever competed in,” he said in an Army news story. “I’m hoping, in France, I’m a little more composed and focused on my fundamentals.”
12. Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Marks, World Class Athlete Program – Paralympic Swimming
In 2008, Sgt. 1st Class Marks enlisted as a Combat Medic. During a 2010 deployment to Iraq, she suffered bilateral hip injuries that required three operations to restructure them. After treatment in Germany, Marks continued her recovery at Brooks Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. There, she began swimming for additional physical therapy and cardio with the goal of being deemed fit for duty. Marks achieved this in 2012. This allowed her to join WCAP and swim competitively. In 2016, Marks made her Paralympic debut in Rio where she took home a Bronze medal for the 4x100m medley and a Gold medal for the 100m breaststroke. Marks brought home even more medals from the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics: Bronze for the 50m butterfly, Silver for the 50m freestyle, and Gold for the 100m backstroke. In securing her spot on the 2024 Paralympic Team, Marks set American records in the 50 butterfly S6, 50 freestyle S6, 100 free S6, 100 backstroke S6, and tied her world record in the 100 back. “I expected the competition for a spot on Team USA to be fierce, and we wanted to bring our best and not leave room for doubt,” Marks said in an Army news story. “My coaches, Mason Heibel and Jason Barber, really made it the best environment possible for me to succeed.”
Comcast NBCUniversal has teamed up with the Exchange to bring the 2024 Paris Olympics to U.S. service members and honorably discharged veterans. NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Games is available through NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports App. The Exchange provides instructions on its website to access the coverage.
This article was originally posted on We Are The Mighty.
