Kusale wins India’s first 50m rifle 3P Olympic bronze
Chateauroux (France): Swapnil Kusale absorbed the big-stage pressure like a sponge and came out shining in the men’s 50m Rifle 3 positions event to win a historic bronze medal for India at the Paris Olympics on Thursday. For the second day in a row, the young man from Pune ensured his breathing pattern was in control and in the normal range as he entered the final hall with confident steps. He was wearing the heavy shooting jacket, but his face had a calm demeanour, something which comes from hours of practice.
“I felt a lot of pressure but am glad to win a medal for my country,” said Swapnil, his words as measured as his shooting. There were three stages in the final – kneeling, prone, and standing. Indeed, the last phase, where he stood and shot at the target, was a delight to watch.
The boy from Pune was placed sixth after the kneeling segment. Swapnil moved up to fifth after a superb set of 15 shots in prone position. Another good series of 10 in the standing position moved him up to third behind China’s Liu Yukun and Ukraine’s Serhiy Kulish, who won the gold and silver. In the elimination rounds, he couldn’t quite make up the gap to those two, finishing 0.5 behind Kulish.
Just after the mixed zone interaction, Swapnil called his coach Deepali Deshpande, whom he addresses as Madam. “Madam has helped me in drilling the fundamentals from the beginning,” said Swapnil. He had missed out on a medal in the Asian Games and was always the underdog compared to Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar. “Swapnil is like my son, I have nurtured him for so long. I am glad he delivered a medal,” said Deepali.
Working for the Indian Railways, Swapnil just had to shoot and not worry about going to the office daily. “I am thankful to the Railways; they give me enough time to train,” he said. “This medal is for India and I am proud I could handle the pressure.”
After two medals had come from Manu Bhaker, both bronze in the pistol event, it was Swapnil’s turn. Replying to a question asked by this writer about Deepali Deshpande, his coach since 2012, Swapnil said: “I have been training with Madam since 2012. She knows me so well; Madam is like a mother to me.” Deshpande was not cleared to travel to Paris by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
The atmosphere inside the final hall was one of high energy. The shooting jacket increases body temperature, but Swapnil did not have any problems dealing with the conditions. “I just focused on my shooting,” said Kusale, who is a Lord Ganesha devotee.
This is the first time an Indian has won a medal in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions event, but Swapnil said he does not bother about past results and this win for India makes him happy.
Indeed, there are many ways an athlete celebrates a historic medal. Swapnil was cool as a cucumber. His patience is something which has been built over years by a coach who has worked with Arjun Babuta as well. Finally, when Swapnil went for the mandatory dope test, he needed to hydrate himself well.
Swapnil has stayed in the shadows of Aishwary Pratap Tomar in the 3P event. On Thursday, he breathed life into the Indian campaign in Paris 2024.
