Paris Olympics: India got its third medal in the Paris Olympics on Wednesday. Shooter Swapnil Kusale won the bronze medal in the men’s category of 50 meter rifle three position. Swapnil scored a total of 451.4 points. The special thing is that in this Olympics, all the three medals have been won in shooting events only.
Swapnil Kusale has won the gold medal in the 50m rifle prone 3 event at the Asian Shooting Championship held in Kuwait in 2015. He has defeated shooters like Gagan Narang and Chain Singh in the 59th National Shooting Championship.
After winning the medal, Swapnil said, ‘I am very happy that I won the medal for the country. I was very nervous during the final, my heart was beating fast.’
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Swapnil Kusale won the gold medal in the 50m rifle prone 3 event at the Asian Shooting Championship held in Kuwait in 2015. Apart from this, he has won by defeating big shooters like Gagan Narang and Chain Singh in the 59th National Shooting Championship in Tughlakabad.
Shooting: Kusale in Paris Olympics
Kusale scored a total of 451.4 in the final of eight shooters and finished third in the elimination round after being in sixth place at one point. 28-year-old Kusale’s medal comes after the brilliant performance of Manu Bhaker, who won bronze medals in women’s 10m air pistol and mixed team 10m air pistol along with Sarabjot Singh. All three medals for India so far have come in shooting events.
The last time a 50m rifle shooter made it to the final was in the 2012 London Olympics, when Joydeep Karmakar finished fourth in the 50m rifle prone event, a discipline that has been discontinued at the Olympics.
Swapnil Kusle takes inspiration from Dhoni
Kusle draws inspiration from cricket icon MS Dhoni as he is also a railway ticket collector like him. The 29-year-old from Kambalwadi village near Kolhapur in Maharashtra has been participating in international events since 2012 but had to wait another 12 years to make his Olympic debut at the Paris Games. Being calm and patient is a prerequisite for a shooter and these two qualities are also the hallmarks of Dhoni’s personality. So it is no surprise that Kusle relates to Dhoni’s life story. He has watched the World Cup winner’s biopic several times and hopes to match the champion cricketer’s illustrious achievements.
Who is Swapnil Kusale?
Born on 6 August 1995 in Pune, Swapnil Kusale comes from a farmer background. Swapnil’s journey in shooting began in 2009 when his father enrolled him in Maharashtra’s primary sports program Krida Prabodhini. After a year of practice, Kusale chose shooting as his sport. His dedication and talent were soon recognised and in 2013 he received sponsorship from Lakshya Sports.
Kusale’s achievements in the shooting world are remarkable. He won the gold medal in the 50m rifle prone 3 event at the 2015 Asian Shooting Championship in Kuwait. Additionally, he won the 59th National Shooting Championship in Tughlakabad, beating renowned shooters like Gagan Narang and Chain Singh. He repeated this success at the 61st National Championship in Thiruvananthapuram and won another gold in the 50m rifle 3-position event.
Swapnil finished fourth at the 2022 World Championship in Cairo and earned an Olympic quota place for India. The Pune-born shooter won a gold medal in the team event at the 2022 Asian Games and a gold medal in the mixed team event at the 2023 World Cup in Baku, as well as two silver medals in the individual and team events. Kusale also won a bronze medal in the team event at the 2022 World Championship and a gold medal in the team event at the 2021 World Cup in New Delhi. Swapnil is part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme.
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