In a historic achievement, Swapnil Kusale has become the first Indian shooter to secure a medal in the 50m Rifle 3 Position (3P) event at the Paris Olympics. Swapnil, a Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) athlete, showcased remarkable resilience and precision. He steadily climbed the ranks to finish 3rd with a total score of 451.4 points, securing a Bronze medal for the nation. This is India’s third medal at the Paris Olympics, with all three coming from shooting events.
Swapnil qualified for the final round after finishing 7th in the qualification stage, where he scored a total of 590 points. His consistent performance secured his place among the top contenders in the event.
Born on August 6, 1995, in Pune, Swapnil Kusale comes from an agricultural family. His journey into sports began in 2009 when his father enrolled him in Maharashtra government’s primary sports program, Krida Prabhodini. After one year of hardcore physical training, he had to choose one sport and he chose shooting. In 2013, he became sponsored by Lakshya Sports.
In 2015, he won gold in 50m rifle prone 3 in the junior category in 2015 Asian Shooting Championships in Kuwait. He also won the 59th National Shooting Championship held in Tughlakabad ahead of Gagan Narang and Chain Singh in the 50m rifle prone event. He repeated the same performance in 61st National Championship in Thiruvananthapuram by winning a gold in 50m rifle 3 position.
Achievements:
Swapnil Kusale’s journey to this historic Olympic medal has been decorated with numerous achievements:
World Championship, Cairo (2022): Finished 4th, winning an Olympic quota place for India.
Asian Games 2022: Gold medal in the Team event.
World Cup, Baku (2023): Gold in mixed team event and two silver medals in individual & team events.
World Championship, Cairo (2022): Bronze medal in the team event.
World Cup, New Delhi (2021): Gold medal in the team event.
Indian shooters have already won two bronze medals in the sport so far.