Paris Olympics: Hailing from a small town in Maharashtra, Swapnil Kusale has clinched a historic bronze medal in 50m Rifle 3 Positions. This is India’s third Olympic shooting medal, and its first in this event.
“I have a lot of emotions right now. This medal means a lot,” said ace shooter Swapnil Kusale, who has made India proud by winning the bronze medal in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions (50m 3P) event at the ongoing Paris Olympics.
This was India’s first-ever Olympic shooting medal in the 50m 3P and the third medal in rifle shooting after Abhinav Bindra’s gold in men’s 10m air rifle at Beijing 2008, and Gagan Narang’s bronze in the same event at London 2012.
Shooting at the National Shooting Center in Châteauroux, France, Kusale was sixth after the first 15 shots in the kneeling position with a score of 153.3. However, consistent shooting in the prone and standing positions saw him climb to third by the end of Stage 1. In Stage 2, with eliminations after every shot, Kusale’s precise shooting — including scores of 10.5, 9.4, and 9.9 — secured his place in the top three, confirming his bronze medal.
While the entire country is singing praises of Swapnil, not many know that the shooter is an M S Dhoni fan, and has been a ticket collector in the past himself!
Hailing from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, the 29-year-old had a humble upbringing. Born to Suresh Kusale, a village school teacher, Swapnil was always into sports. His father saw his potential and enrolled him in a government programme in 2009. Suresh made immense sacrifices to help his son achieve his shooting dreams.
“I cannot thank my family enough for supporting me. They had faith in me. Even though shooting was something new for all of us, my father felt that I had to do this,” Swapnil said, as quoted by The New Indian Express.
Suresh told Mid-Day how he managed to help his son pursue his shooting ambition. “Shooting is a very costly sport. Weapons are expensive and I had to spend a major part of my salary on Swapnil’s shooting. I took a Rs 25 lakh loan and sold two plots of land to manage his expenses.” He added that Swapnil had been working hard for 14 to 15 years!
All of Swapnil’s hard work paid off at the Asian Games, where, despite missing out on individual glory, the 29-year-old played a crucial role in securing a gold medal for India in the team event.
During his experience in Hangzhou, Kusale learned one lesson that he shared with The New Indian Express, “When you’re in the game, you must set emotions aside and focus solely on performance. Letting emotions interfere doesn’t help at the highest level.”
Swapnil’s story is one of dreams, determination, and victory that tastes even sweeter because it has come after over a decade of hard work. As India celebrates this historic win, his rise through the ranks will continue to serve as an inspiration for generations of athletes.
“I love shooting and am glad I have been able to do it for so long. Every shot is a new shot. Throughout the match, I was just trying to be patient,” said Swapnil, as quoted by a PTI report.
Edited by Pranita Bhat
