Swapnil Kusale secured India’s third medal at the Paris Olympics by winning a bronze in the 50m rifle 3 position event on Thursday, August 1. He achieved a score of 451.4, placing behind China’s Yukun Liu, who took gold, and Ukraine’s Serhiy Kulish, who won silver.
Kusale’s bronze medal at the Paris Olympics marked a significant improvement in his performance, as he had previously finished fourth at both the World Championships and the Asian Games. This time, he managed to clinch third place.
In the final 50m rifle 3 position event, Kusale was initially sixth after the kneeling stage with a score of 153.3. By the end of the prone stage, he had moved up to fifth with a total score of 310.1, just 0.6 points behind Ukraine’s Serhiy Kulish, who was in third.
During the first five shots of the standing stage, Kusale scored 51.1, advancing to fourth place and getting within 0.4 points of the third position.
Who is Swapnil Kusale?
Swapnil Kusale works as a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) with the Pune Railway Division. Born in 1995 into a family with an agricultural background, Kusale was enrolled by his father in Maharashtra’s Krida Prabhodini, a primary sports program. After a year of intense physical training, Kusale chose to focus on shooting.
In 2015, Kusale won a gold medal in the 50m rifle prone 3 position in the junior category at the Asian Shooting Championships in Kuwait.
He also triumphed at the 59th National Shooting Championship in Tughlakabad, outperforming Gagan Narang and Chain Singh in the 50m rifle prone event. He repeated his success at the 61st National Championship in Thiruvananthapuram, winning gold in the 50m rifle 3 position.
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Swapnil Kusale’s Trouble With Chronic Tonsil
From 2022, when he earned the Olympic quota, to 2024, when he secured his spot by finishing in the top two of the trials, the Pune-based shooter faced numerous challenges. One of the most difficult was managing a chronic tonsil issue, which caused severe pain, fever, and weakness. After consulting multiple doctors, the issue was identified in December 2023 as lactose intolerance.
In a new interview with a leading publication, Kusale revealed, “Whenever I would have any kind of milk product, this issue would aggravate. My tonsils would hurt, and I’d be down with fever for days. It was especially difficult when it happened during competitions; I was unwell even in Bhopal after I landed.”
He added, “When your body goes for a toss, it affects your shooting too. I’m glad that I survived that phase, and got the job done here.”
Here Are Swapnil Kusale’s Achievements:
Asian Championship, Korea (2023): Silver medal in the 10m air rifle individual event, securing a quota place for the 2024 Olympics
World Championship, Cairo (2022): Gold medal in the 10m Air Rifle team event
ISSF World Cup, Changwon (2022): Won two gold medals in the individual and men’s team events
World University Games, Chengdu (2021): Gold medal in the 10m Air Rifle individual event
The 29-year-old Swapnil Kusale, hailing from Kambalwadi village near Kolhapur in Maharashtra, has been participating in international competitions since 2012. However, it took him another 12 years to finally make his Olympic debut at the Paris Games.
Calmness and patience are essential qualities for a shooter, and these traits are also characteristic of MS Dhoni’s personality. It’s no wonder Kusale finds inspiration in Dhoni’s life story.
