Indian star shooter Swapnil Kusale opened up about how he made a comeback in the 50m rifle competition round in the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 after clinching the historic bronze medal in the marquee event. This is the first time an Indian athlete won an Olympic medal in 50m rifle 3 positions.
About comeback
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 in shooting, at the Paris Games. He revealed that he was focussing on his breath and he had some keywords in his mind which helped him to made a comeback.
“During every shot , when I had to do the changing I was focusing on my breath and I had some keywords which I was repeating and I was shooting accordingly with the keywords” said Kusale.
How MS Dhoni inspired Swapnil Kusale
Kusale, who was a Railways Ticket Collector and draws inspiration from cricket icon MS Dhoni, was slow to start with but fought his way back to bag the third prize in his very first appearance in the world's biggest sporting spectacle.
"Actually, I don't go for railway work. The Indian railways has given me 365 days leave to perform well for India. My personal coach Deepali Deshpande is like a mother to me. She has supported me unconditionally. I have not spoken to my mother yet," Kusale said.
Kusale, who finished seventh in a tightly contested qualification on Wednesday, has been working for Central Railways since 2015 and has watched the biopic of World Cup winner Dhoni multiple times.
"I don't follow anyone specific in the shooting world. Outside of that, I admire Dhoni for the person that he is. My sport requires me to be as calm and patient as he is on the field. I also relate to his story as I am a ticket collector like he was," Kusale had told PTI after finishing seventh in the qualification here on Wednesday.
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