By Nitin Sharma
Having started his shooting journey in his early teens, Swapnil Kusale clinched a Paris Olympics bronze medal on Thursday, becoming India’s third shooter to achieve this milestone at the 2024 Games.
Swapnil Kusale began his journey in shooting at the age of 14, when he enrolled in a residential school through an initiative by the Maharashtra government. Selected for the Maharashtra government sports scheme, he chose shooting as his sport of focus. On Thursday, the 28-year-old from Kolhapur won a bronze medal in the men’s 50m 3P final at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in the Paris Olympics.
His father, 57-year-old Suresh Kusale, vividly remembers the day when Swapnil left for a residential school at the tender age of ten. “Right from the age of ten years, Swapnil has stayed in government residential schools and later trained in Pune while working as a Ticket Examiner (TTE) with Indian Railways. He rarely gets time to visit us, but whenever he comes, he brings something for all of us. Seeing him come home with an Olympics medal this time will be a special moment for all of us. The village kids and elders should also see his Olympic medal,” said Suresh Kusale, speaking from their village.
The village, known for its organic farming and being alcohol-free, has a tradition of sending its children to nearby residential schools. Swapnil attended Bhogawati School in Parite, Kolhapur, before being selected for Maharashtra’s Kreeda Prabodhini scheme at 14. His mother, Anita, now the sarpanch of the village, recalls Swapnil’s dedication. “A young Swapnil never missed his morning run and was very fit. When he joined the residential school and later the Kreeda Prabodhini scheme, he wanted to make a name in sports. When the coaches decided to put him in shooting, he would draw us the targets and show how it’s done whenever he visited home,” she said.
Four years into his shooting career, Swapnil won the 50m rifle prone event title at the Asian Championships in 2015, defeating renowned shooters like London Olympics bronze medallist Gagan Narang. His interest in the 50m 3P event grew during his later junior days. Joining the Indian Railways as a Ticket Collector in 2015 allowed him to save his salary to purchase his first rifle. “Swapnil and other shooters would initially share a common rifle until he got one from the Maharashtra Government. Later, with savings and his salary, we bought him a new rifle costing more than eight lakhs,” his father said.
Despite several junior world cup appearances and a bronze in the prone event at the Asian Championships till 2018, Swapnil’s breakthrough came at the ISSF World Cup in Cairo in 2022, where he narrowly missed a medal but secured the Paris quota for India.
Coach Deepali Deshpande remembers Swapnil’s early days in the junior camp. “When Swapnil came to us in 2013, he was chosen for the 10m air rifle but spent time in the 50m 3P events. His body posture and fitness helped him excel in the prone position. His first 3P nationals score of around 1167-1168 surprised us,” she said.
Swapnil’s dedication and resilience paid off despite the high cost of training and equipment. His father remembers Swapnil’s concerns about the cost of each shot but his determination to learn quickly. Last year, Swapnil led in the 50m 3P final at the Hangzhou Asian Games before finishing fourth but contributed to India’s gold win with Akhil Sheoran and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar.
Adjusting to the new format of 20 shots each in kneeling, prone, and standing series instead of the previous 40 shots, Swapnil had to focus on quickly finding his rhythm. “Swapnil is a rhythmic shooter. The way he recovered in the qualification after three nines to shoot three consecutive tens to make it to the final was impressive,” Deshpande said.
Despite lactose intolerance, Swapnil’s mother, Anita, knows what her son will ask for when he returns home with the medal. “He loves bhakri and methi sabzi. He can have it three times a day, and that’s what he would ask us to celebrate the medal,” she said.
Swapnil Kusale’s journey from Kolhapur to Paris is an inspiring story of talent, hard work, and family support, making his Olympic bronze medal a cherished victory for him and his village.
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