Paris Olympics 2024 | 'Didn't even call him to avoid distraction': Shooter Swapnil's parents

Swapnil Kusale (Pic: AFP)

Swapnil Kusale on Thursday kept his composure to stage a remarkable comeback and help the country claim its first ever Olympic bronze in the 50m rifle 3 positions event of the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024.

The parents of Olympic shooting bronze medalist Kusale on Thursday said they were sure he would win a medal for the 'tricolour and the country'.

"We let him focus on his work and didn't even call him yesterday so that he should not get distracted," Swapnil's father told reporters in Kolhapur, soon after their son won a bronze for India in Paris.

"For the last 10 to 12 years, he was mostly away from home, focusing on his marksmanship. People have been calling up incessantly to congratulate us," he said.

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Swapnil's mother said the family hails from a village in Kolhapur district of western Maharashtra.

"He studied in a public school and developed a liking for shooting while at Sangli," she said. He later went to Nashik for further training in the sport, she added.

Kusale shot an aggregate of 451.4 in the eight-shooter final to finish third after being placed sixth at one stage. It took the country's overall tally to three, all bronze, at the Paris Games.

His medal comes following the stunning performance of Manu Bhaker, who clinched the women's 10m air pistol and mixed team 10m air pistol bronze alongside Sarabjot Singh.

All three medals for India at the Paris Olympics 2024 have come in shooting events, which is also a first in India's Olympic history.

The last time a 50m rifle shooter made it to the Olympic finals was in 2012 London when Joydeep Karmakar finished fourth in 50m rifle prone event, a discipline which has been discontinued at the Olympics.

Kusale, who was a ticket collector and draws inspiration from cricket icon MS Dhoni

(With agency inputs)