Rifle Hires Olympian as Assistant Rifle Coach

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- Army Head Rifle Coach Leighton Dempster has announced the hiring of assistant rifle coach Rylan Kissell.

Kissell is currently one of four rifle athletes representing Team USA at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

A native of Denver, Colorado, Kissell finished second overall after the U.S. Olympic Trials- Air Gun Shooting in January, a three-part competition. Kissell was recently confirmed as a qualified athlete in Men's 10m Air Rifle and 50m smallbore for the Paris Games based on USA Shooting selection procedures.

Kissell will be making his Olympic debut in Paris this summer. The University of Alaska Fairbanks alumni made two NCAA Rifle National Championship appearances (2020-21 and 2021-22), finishing with a bronze medal in the smallbore individual finals at the 2022 NCAA Championships.

After his college career, he became a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado, Springs, Colorado, to pursue his dream of making an Olympic team. Kissell has excelled in his shooting career and most recently earned two medals at the 2023 Pan American Games. In Paris he will be competing in Men's 10m Air Rifle, Mixed Team Air Rifle, and Men's 50m Smallbore Rifle.

Head Coach Leighton Dempster commented on the new addition of Kissell, "I am thrilled to Welcome Rylan to Army West Point. His successes in the NCAA paired with his Olympic debut shows his ability to push the limits of the sport and continue to pursue excellence. I am confident he will enhance our team culture and bring valuable experience to coach and mentor our cadet-athletes."

Kissell begins Olympic competition on July 27^th.

Army West Point Athletics

Rifle Hires Olympian as Assistant Rifle Coach

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