At the tender age of 14, Swapnil Kusale was selected for a Maharashtra government sports scheme, choosing shooting as his preferred sport. Now 28, the Kolhapur native won a bronze medal in the men’s 50m 3P final at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in the Paris Olympics on Thursday.
The village where Swapnil Kusale hails from is renowned for organic farming and being an alcohol-free zone. Most children, including Swapnil, attended residential schools nearby. Swapnil was sent to Bhogawati School in Parite, Kolhapur, before being selected for the Maharashtra Kreeda Prabodhini scheme at 14, where he began his journey in shooting.
Young Swapnil Kusale never missed his morning run and was very fit from a young age. When he joined the residential school and later the Kreeda Prabodhini scheme, he wanted to excel in sports.
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Swapnil’s shooting career took off four years later when he won the 50m rifle prone event at the 2015 Asian Championships. He then claimed the national title in the same discipline, defeating London Olympics bronze medallist Gagan Narang and Chain Singh. His interest in the 50m 3P event began towards the end of his junior days.
In 2015, Swapnil Kusale joined Indian Railways as a Ticket Collector, using his first six months’ salary to buy his first rifle, costing more than Rs 3 lakhs, The Indian Express reported.
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Swapnil Kusale made three junior world cup appearances and won a bronze in the prone event at the Asian Championships until 2018. However, it was not until the ISSF World Cup in Cairo in 2022 that he gained significant attention. Although he missed a medal due to a final shot of 8.2, he secured the Paris quota for India with a fourth-place finish.
His coach, Deepali Deshpande, noted that Swapnil Kusale was initially chosen for the 10m air rifle but often practiced in the 50m 3P events.
