‘Matter of Great Joy’: Coach of Swapnil Kusale Celebrates Shooter’s Olympic Bronze

Swapnil Kusale secured the bronze medal for India in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men’s Final with an aggregate score of 451.4. This achievement marks a significant accomplishment for Kusale and adds to India’s medal tally in shooting sports.

Vishwajeet Shinde, the former coach of Swapnil Kusale, expressed immense pride and joy following Kusale’s historic bronze medal win in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men’s Final at the Paris Olympics. Kusale made history by becoming the first Indian shooter to medal in this event, finishing third with an aggregate score of 451.4. Shinde highlighted the significance of this achievement, noting that it reflects Kusale’s dedication and hard work. “I am very happy he got an Olympic medal today. His victory is a matter of great joy for us. This is the result of the hard work he did and I am very happy for him,” Shinde told ANI. This win also marks India’s third medal in shooting at these Olympics.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Swapnil Kusale advanced to the final of the men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions (3P) event by finishing seventh in the qualification round with a score of 590-38x. His performance marked him as the first Indian shooter to reach this event’s final. Unfortunately, his compatriot Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar did not make it to the final, ranking 11th with a total of 589-33x. Liu Yukun of China set a new Olympic qualification record with a score of 594-38x.

In the finals, Kusale went on to win a bronze medal, becoming the first Indian to medal in this event at the Olympics, and securing India’s third overall medal in shooting at these Games.

Earlier in the competition, Manu Bhaker had already secured a bronze medal in the women’s 10m Air Pistol event, marking India’s first medal at the Paris Olympics.

The Paris Olympics has indeed been a significant moment of redemption for Manu Bhaker. After facing a malfunction in her pistol during the Tokyo Olympics, her performance in Paris has been both impressive and historic. She became the first Indian woman in two decades to reach an individual shooting final at the Olympics, a milestone last achieved by Suma Shirur in 2004.

In the mixed team event for the 10m Air Pistol, Manu Bhaker, alongside Sarabjot Singh, delivered a remarkable performance by defeating the South Korean duo of Lee Wonho and Oh Ye Jin with a score of 16-10 in the bronze medal play-off match. This victory added another bronze to India’s tally and highlighted their resilience and skill in shooting sports.