Swapnil Kusale Makes History with Bronze in 50m Rifle 3P at Paris Olympics

Swapnil Kusale wins bronze at the Olympics in Paris, marking India's third medal overall. Olympic shooter Swapnil Kusale made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by becoming the first shooter from India to win a medal in the 50m Rifle 3P competition. 

Kusale finished behind Yukun Liu of China (gold) and Serhiy Kulish of Ukraine (silver), with a score of 451.4. Shooter Swapnil Kusale, who placed third in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions final at the National Shooting Center in Châteauroux on Thursday, earned India's third medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. 

In the face of stiff competition, Kusale gave an outstanding performance, placing third in the final with a score of 451.4 points. In the men's 50-meter rifle three positions competition, Swapnil has now made Olympic history as the first Indian shooter to earn a medal.

             Picture Credit: Account 

 Additionally, this is the first Olympics edition in which the Indian shooting team has won three medals. Competitors compete in kneeling, prone, and standing positions in the 3P event, or Three-Position Rifle Shooting. During the incident, gunmen in the prone and kneeling postures fire three bursts of five rounds each. The two shooters with the lowest scores are eliminated after the 40th shot, which happens during the second series in a standing position. 

Every shot after then acts as an elimination shot until a champion is established. Kneeling: Kusale scored 50.8 in the first series and 50.9 in the second, but he got off to a sluggish start. He did, however, somewhat improve with a 51.6 in the third series, finishing sixth overall with 153.3. To remain in the running, he needed to do well in the prone position. 

 Kusale improved his performance, scoring 52.7, 52.2, and 51.9 in three series, bringing his total to 310.1 and moving him to fifth place. After a nine-minute break, shooters prepared for two series of five shots each, with eliminations starting after the 40th shot. Norway's John Hermann led with 312.1, followed by China's Yukun Liu and Ukraine's Serhiy Kulish. Kusale moved to fourth with 361.2 after the first five shots, then moved to third with 411.6. 

He scored 10.5, holding third with 422.1 as France's Lucas exited. Kusale retained his position with a 9.4, while India secured a medal with a 9.9. Kusale won the bronze medal with a final score of 451.4. India's Swapnil Swapnil won the gold medal in the shooting event at the Paris Olympics 2024, marking his third medal in the sport. 

The Indian shooter, who previously won a bronze medal in the women's 10m air pistol event, made history by winning another bronze with Sarabjot Singh in the 10m pistol mixed team event. The Indian shooter's expertise in the sport was further bolstered by his impressive performance. The Indian shooter's achievement solidified his status as a global competitor. 

The event also marked the first Indian shooter to win two medals in a single Olympic edition. Swapnil Kusale, born in 1995, is a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) with the Pune Railway Division.

 After a year of intensive physical training, Kusale chose shooting as his sport. In 2015, he won a gold medal in the junior 50m rifle prone 3 event at the Asian Shooting Championships in Kuwait. He also won a gold medal at the 59th National Shooting Championship in Tughlakabad, surpassing Gagan Narang and Chain Singh in the 50m rifle prone event.