Boulder City Olympian aims for gold at Paris Games

To most Nevadans, Boulder City is little more than a speck on a map.

To Lexi Lagan, it’s home.

The 2011 Boulder City High graduate will head for Paris to compete as a shooter for the U.S. Olympic team. Her exact events await some rules technicalities, but she will be shooting the 10m air pistol.

Lagan, who became the first Olympian from Boulder City when she competed in Tokyo three years ago, said she is armed with additional experience and plans to make a statement.

“I’m on that precipice,” said Lagan, who failed to medal in 2021. “My coach and my teammates all see the potential in me. I know I have the talent and skills to make it to the finals. If I do that, I have a good opportunity to make it to the podium.”

Lagan, 31, has had plenty of time to prepare. She was among the U.S. team’s first qualifiers when she made the cut with a strong performance at the air gun trials in January.

Though she has experience at the Olympic level, Lagan said there will be some necessary adjustments in mindset.

“There are so many differences between Tokyo and Paris,” said Lagan, who grew up shooting with her father before joining the shooting team at the University of Utah. “COVID completely changed the game (in 2020). There were no audiences before, and this time people will be there cheering.”

Lagan said shooting involves more mental focus than many sports. Her mother, Jill Lagan, said that fact plays right into her daughter’s hands.

“She has grit,” said Jill Lagan, the CEO of Boulder City’s Chamber of Commerce. “Anytime something goes a little off and seems like it would sabotage anyone else, Lexi just digs in and makes those challenges work in her favor. We can see it physically, and we know what’s going on in her head.”

That grit was instrumental in helping Lexi Lagan overcome a late start in the sport, as she did not compete seriously until college.

“Shooting is one of those sports where as long as you can see the target and hold a gun straight, you can shoot,” she said, noting that age is a minor factor in her sport.

If she can do that with precision, she will make her hometown proud.

“I know the entire city is behind me in everything I’ve done,” said Lagan, who is considering opening a range in Boulder City to coach while she prepares for a potential appearance in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “There has been an overwhelming amount of support. I really look forward to representing the wonderful nature of Boulder City.”

Jill Lagan, whose daughter served as the grand marshal of the Boulder City Damboree July 4 parade, said she expects a worthwhile experience regardless of how things go in Paris.

“It’s always been the goal to get her to the Olympics,” said the elder Lagan, who couldn’t accompany her daughter to Tokyo because of COVID restrictions. “In the back of my mind, it hasn’t really mattered if she medals. Whether she does or not, I’m just so proud of her.”

But a spot in the top three remains the goal for Lexi Lagan. She won bronze in Women’s Sport Pistol and silver in Women’s 10m Air Pistol last fall at the Pan American games in Santiago, Chili, and will be facing many of the same opponents in Paris.

“I think about medaling when I’m on the range,” Lagan said. “I tell myself I’m going to be on the podium and I’m going to make that flag raise.”

Shooting events will begin July 27 at the National Shooting Center in Chateauroux.

Review-Journal reporter Jeff Wollard can be reached at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.