Indian shooter Swapnil Kusale won the bronze medal in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. This is a historic achievement for India as it marks the first Olympic shooting medal in the 50m 3P category.
A New Milestone for Indian Shooting
Kusale’s bronze is India’s third Olympic medal in rifle shooting. He follows in the footsteps of Abhinav Bindra, who won gold in the men’s 10m air rifle at Beijing 2008, and Gagan Narang, who won bronze in the same event at London 2012. Kusale expressed his emotions, saying, “This medal means a lot. It is not a gold, but I am pleased I got a medal. To get an Olympic medal is a dream.”
The Path to Victory
The competition took place at the National Shooting Center in Châteauroux. Kusale had a challenging start and was in sixth place after the first 15 shots in the kneeling position with a score of 153.3. His consistent performance in the prone and standing positions helped him move up to third place by the end of stage 1, ensuring his spot in the top three.
Kusale’s scores of 10.5, 9.4, and 9.9 in the next three shots kept him in contention. Although his next shot of 10.0 wasn’t enough to compete for the gold, he secured the bronze medal. The gold medal went to Liu Yukun of China with a score of 463.6, and the silver went to Serhiy Kulish of Ukraine with 461.3. Kusale finished with a score of 451.4.
Road to the Finals
Kusale made it to the eight-man final by finishing seventh in the qualifiers with a score of 590. Fellow Indian shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar missed the cut, finishing 11th.
India’s Medal Tally at Paris 2024
India has won three shooting medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics so far. Before Kusale’s bronze, Manu Bhaker won bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol individual event and teamed up with Sarabjot Singh to win another bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event.
Other Performances
Indian shooters Anjum Moudgil and Sift Kaur Samra did not make it to the finals of the women’s 50m rifle 3P event. Moudgil finished 18th with a score of 584, while Samra finished 31st with a score of 575.
Swapnil Kusale’s bronze medal in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions is a significant achievement for India. It marks a new milestone in Indian shooting and highlights the talent of Indian shooters on the international stage.
