Brittany Nelson, USAS Public Affairs and Communications Manager
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 10, 2024) – With less than 50 days until the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, it’s time to get to know the team that will represent U.S. Shooting on the world’s biggest sports stage.
Five pistol athletes will represent the U.S. team at the Olympics, which runs from July 26 to August 11. They are: Alexis Ragan, Kaitlyn Abeln, Ada Corkin, Henry Leverett and Keith Sanderson.
A native of Boulder City, Nevada, Ragan is one of the Olympians returning from the 2020 Tokyo Games. Ragan has qualified for the women’s air pistol event in 2024. She recently won a silver medal in the event at the 2023 Pan American Games, securing her a spot in Paris. She is a three-time medalist at the 2022 CAT Games and a six-time national champion. When Ragan isn’t training at the range, she can be found playing with her corgis and coaching for Team Winning Solutions.
Abeln, a Douglasville, Georgia native, will make her Olympic debut this year. A graduate of Ohio State University, Abeln qualified in women’s air pistol and women’s sport pistol. Abeln recently won two medals at the 2024 Americas Championships. A 2023 World Championships team member, she got into the sport shooting BB guns at her local 4-H club and learning about gun safety. The first time she shot an air gun, it was at a makeshift target behind a CrossFit gym and she was hooked. Abeln recently earned her bachelor’s degree and is currently attending graduate school.
Corkin, a Brookline, Massachusetts native, will also be making her Olympic debut in women’s sport pistol at age 20. She began the sport at age 9 with the Massachusetts Rifle Association Junior Pistol Team and currently shoots for the Ohio State University Pistol Team. While this will be Corkin’s first Olympic Games, she is no stranger to international success. The pistol shooter won gold with the women’s 25m sport pistol team at the 2024 CAT Olympics, joining teammates Abeln and Lisa Emmert-Trasiak on the podium.
Leverett, from Bainbridge, Georgia, has qualified for Paris 2024 in the men’s rapid fire pistol. Paris will be his second appearance and Tokyo 2020 will be his first. Leverett comes from a sports shooting family, with his brother Jack competing with him at the Tokyo Games and his sister Abby shooting with them on the Ohio State University pistol team. Leverett has already won numerous international medals, including a bronze medal at the 2023 Pan American Games, where he also secured an Olympic berth for the United States. The 2023 World Championship team member recently completed his bachelor’s degree in international relations and diplomacy and plans to attend graduate school in Vienna, Austria this fall.
Sanderson, from Monument, Colorado, has qualified for Paris 2024 in men’s rapid fire pistol. Paris will be Sanderson’s fourth Olympic Games; he competed in Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016. Sanderson served in the Army and Marine Corps and was most recently on the 2023 World Championships team and the 2023 Pan American Games team. He earned the final spot needed for the United States in men’s rapid fire pistol at the 2024 CAT Games earlier this year.
The first pistol event at Paris 2024 will be women’s air pistol on 27 July. All final events will be streamed live on NBC’s streaming platform, Peacock. Watch the full Olympic Shooting schedule here.
The Olympic alternates for the U.S. Pistol Team are:
- Women’s Air Pistol: Suman Sanghera and Lisa Emmert Trasiak
- Women’s Sport Pistol: Lisa Emmert Trasiak and Alexis Ragan
As of June 7, the U.S. Olympic Shooting Team is made up of 16 athletes and the U.S. Paralympic Team is made up of five athletes. See the full U.S. Olympic Shooting Team roster here and the Paralympic roster here.
To stay up to date as the team prepares for Paris 2024, follow @USAShooting on Instagram, Facebook and X.
