Five interesting facts about Paris Olympics 2024 medallist Swapnil Kusale

Swapnil Kusale made his Olympic debut at Paris.

Till a couple of days back, Swapnil Kusale was one among the 117 athletes who took the flight to Paris to represent India in the Olympics. But at 1:45 PM IST on the 1st of August 2024, he became a national hero.

In the finals of the men’s 50m Rifle 3P event, Swapnil Kusale won the bronze medal after getting off to a worrying start in the final. Even during qualification, he was ranked seventh but all that did not matter to Swapnil once he started improving his scores in the final.

He brought his A-game under severe pressure and the 28-year-old delivered when it mattered the most. He was down at the sixth place and slowly climbed up with every series of shots to finish on the podium. It has been a classic dark horse story at Paris Olympics 2024 as Kusale’s story will be inspire the next generation of athletes in India.

Swapnil Kusale, who will be turning 29 on the 6th of August, has gifted himself an early birthday present and he has a journey that everyone would love to know about. On that note, let’s look at five interesting facts about India’s shooting star.

#1 Used academy rifle in early years

Coming from a small village Kambalwadi known for organic farming, Swapnil Kusale’s father was a school teacher in the village. Like other kids, Swapnil was sent to a residential school at the age of 10. He was selected for Krida Prabhodini, the main sports program run by the Maharashtra government.

He had to pick one sport after a year of intense physical preparation, and he decided on shooting, one of the costliest sports.

Also Read: “I am also a ticket collector” Paris Olympics 2024 Bronze Medalist Swapnil Kusale inspired by MS Dhoni

A shooter is expected to fire 150 to 200 bullets, with each bullet costing around 120 rupees. Swapnil Kusale couldn’t afford the bullets but thanks to the government program and the training academy he had access to bullets and the Rifle.

Considered as a child prodigy, he was delivering results at the junior level. He started competing in international events at the age of 17 as a school kid and it was the training academy’s rifle he was using to compete.

#2 Working as a ticket collector

Having been a beneficiary of the government scheme, Swapnil Kusale was given the responsibility of a train ticket collector in Pune in 2015. He would perform his duty in the Indian Railways apart from continuing his training in shooting. Working as a ticket collector to pursue one’s dream in sports is a storyline everyone in India would be familiar with.

It was the story of former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and after winning the historic bronze medal, Swapnil emphasized how he was inspired by Dhoni. Shooting requires calmness and composure as the precision in every shot is important. The 28-year-old has taken a leaf out of Dhoni’s book to be calm in all situations especially during a competition.

#3 Saved six months’ salary to buy own rifle

The shooter from Maharastra got the job three years after he started competing and was dependent on the academy for the equipment. It was the TTE job that helped him buy a rifle for himself.

He had to save his salary for six months to buy a Rifle. The Rifle was cost than Rs 3 lakh as these were rifles which were even more expensive.

It was important for Swapnil Kusale to his own equipment to put himself through the rigor of his training. In the national camp, he was chosen for the 10m Air Rifle event but he had a fascinating interest in the 50m Rifle event. The 0.22 Rifle recoil along with his unique balanced posture, which is a rare phenomenon among young athletes made him an ideal candidate for this event.

#4 Beat Olympic medalist Gagan Narang

With his own Rifle, he started honing skills and dreamt of becoming an Olympic champion. Having been inspired by Abhinav Bindra’s gold from the 2008 Beijing Games and Gagan Narang’s bronze from the 2012 London Olympics, Swapnil Kusale too believed he could make it. His beliefs were made clear when he beat Narang himself in the 2015 National Shooting Championships in the 50m rifle-prone event.

It gave the confidence to Swapnil but also to Gagan that Swapnil could do wonders in the future. Ironically in Swapnil’s debut Olympics, Gagan was appointed as India’s chef de mission.

After a historic bronze medal, Gagan was in tears to see the success of a youngster whom he groomed. Swapnil reflected the same saying that Gagan has been an inspiration and a guiding light in this journey.

#5 Lactose Intolerance

Swapnil might have many traits of MS Dhoni except in terms of dietary preferences. Dhoni during his initial days said he used to consume at least one litre of buffalo milk which would give him energy. But for Swapnil, it did create problems. In fact, it was his biggest weakness as he would suffer from a chronic tonsil issue, and as a result, it did weaken his body.

It was only in December 2023, that it was found that his body is lactose intolerant and the 28-year-old should avoid taking milk products. In Paris, there were reports that food hasn’t been the way the athletes would have liked to and many Indians resorted to basic food like milk and carbs to keep their diet in line. Swapnil had to fight and the fruits of it are visible with a medal around his neck.

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