August 7, 2024

Swapnil Kusale: From Railways to Olympics

Swapnil Kusale is a 29-year-old Indian shooter who won a bronze medal in the men's 50-metre rifle three positions event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

Kusale finished with 451.4 points in the men’s final, becoming the first person to win an Olympic medal in the 50m rifle three positions event. 

He proved his determination to win the bronze medal, after returning without any medals from the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Born on 6 August 1995 in the Kolhapur district of Maharashtra, Kusale was enrolled in the Maharashtra government's Krida Prabhodini sports programme in 2009 with the help of his father. 

He became a ticket collector (TC) for the Indian Railways in Pune in 2015, which allowed him to buy his first-ever rifle. 

He has won many awards in his professional career including a gold in 50m rifle prone 3 in the junior category at the 2015 Asian Shooting Championships in Kuwait and gold medals in 59th and 61st National Championships in shooting. 

Kusale secured an Olympic quota berth in October 2022 for the men's 50-metre rifle 3 position event after finishing fourth at the 2022 ISSF World Shooting Championships in Cairo. 

He was selected for the Indian Olympic team in the 50m rifle 3 positions event in May 2024 after his trials in Delhi and Bhopal. 

After his achievement at the Paris Olympics 2024, he has been given a double promotion by the Indian Railways to the post of Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Sports Cell, in Mumbai.

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