Delhi: Indian shooter Swapnil Kusale added a third medal to India’s tally at the Paris Olympics 2024, marking his debut by securing a bronze in the 50m Rifle 3P event.
Kusale made history by becoming the first Indian shooter to bag a medal in this event at the Olympics, achieving a score of 451.4. He finished behind China’s Yukun Liu (gold) and Ukraine’s Serhiy Kulish (silver).
The 28-year-old Indian Bronze medalist waited 12 years to make his Olympic debut at the Paris Olympic games. At the tender age of 14, Swapnil Kusale was selected to be part of a Maharashtra government sports scheme, where he chose shooting as his preferred sport.
Three junior world cup appearances and a bronze in prone event in Asian Championships till 2018 would mean that Kusale would be in the Indian team but it was not till the ISSF World Cup at Cairo in 2022, that the Indian shooter would come into limelight, as he bagged the Paris quota for India with a fourth place finish.
Swapnil Kusale hails from Kambalwadi Village near Kolhapur, Maharashtra. He was a railway ticket collector, just like former Indian Captain MS Dhoni, who inspired in his shooting career. In 2015, the Maharashtrian shooter joined Indian Railways at Pune as a Ticket Collector, which also helped him get his first own rifle. Kusale have been competing in International games since 2012 but made his Olympic debut after 12 years at Paris.
Indian’s star shooter, Manu Bhakar scripted history with two Bronze medals in 10m Air Pistol events alongside Sarabjot Singh in Paris, Olympic 2024 on the 4th day. With this achievement, Manu Bhakar has become the first Indian athlete to win two medals in a single Summer Olympic Games since independence. The other Indian to achieve this feat was Norman Pritchard, who won two silver medals in the 200-meter hurdles and 200-meter dash at the 1900 Paris. The 22-year-old Manu won her first bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event. Overall, this was India’s fifth Olympic medal in shooting.