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Indian shooter Swapnil Kusale achieved a historic milestone by winning the bronze medal in the men’s 50m rifle three positions (3P) final at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Thursday. This marks India's first-ever Olympic medal in this event and the nation's third overall in rifle shooting, following Abhinav Bindra's gold in the men's 10m air rifle at Beijing 2008 and Gagan Narang's bronze in the same event at London 2012.

Expressing his elation, Kusale stated, "I have a lot of emotions right now. 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."

Competing at the National Shooting Center in Châteauroux, Kusale was positioned sixth after the first 15 shots in the kneeling position, scoring 153.3 points. He was two points behind Norway’s Jon-Hermann, who led the field at that stage.

Kusale demonstrated remarkable consistency in the prone and standing positions, propelling him to third place by the end of stage 1, resulting in the elimination of the bottom two shooters. In stage 2, with one elimination after each shot, Kusale's precision with shots of 10.5, 9.4, and 9.9 secured his spot in the top three, confirming his medal.

However, a subsequent shot of 10.0 points wasn't sufficient to vie for the gold. The People’s Republic of China’s Liu Yukun, the world record holder in this event, clinched the gold medal with a score of 463.6, while Ukraine’s Serhiy Kulish secured silver with 461.3 points, adding to his silver from Rio 2016. Kusale finished with a total of 451.4 points.

Kusale had qualified for the eight-man final by finishing seventh in the qualifiers with a score of 590. Fellow Indian shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar narrowly missed the cut, finishing 11th.

India has now won three medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, all in shooting. Before Kusale’s achievement, Manu Bhaker won bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol individual event and later teamed up with Sarabjot Singh for another bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event.

However, India's hopes in the women’s 50m rifle 3P event were dashed as Anjum Moudgil and Sift Kaur Samra failed to progress to the final. Moudgil finished 18th with a score of 584, while Samra placed 31st with 575.

This triumph highlights India’s growing prowess in shooting sports on the global stage, and Kusale’s historic win will inspire future generations of Indian shooters.

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