Kept calm and handled pressure well at Paris Olympics: Bronze medal winning shooter Kusale

Pune, Aug 8 (PTI) Ace marksman Swapnil Kusale, who won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in 50m rifle 3 positions event, on Thursday said he kept himself calm at the shooting range under pressure and despite encountering hot weather which eventually paid off and ended in his podium finish.

Kusale, who arrived in Pune to a grand welcome, expressed gratitude towards his family and coaches for their sacrifices to ensure his success at the highest level of the sport.

During an interaction at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Sports Complex in Balewadi, the 29-year-old marksman thanked the government for arranging training camps abroad and providing financial support.

"The Government of India gave a huge support to us by arranging camps in foreign locations so as to adjust with climatic conditions. There are several challenges in 50m rifle 3 positions such as wind challenge, weather, light-related challenges. A player has to face hot and cold climates. So when a player gets a chance to go abroad for practice, it helps a lot," he maintained.

Kusale, only the second individual Olympic medal winner from Maharashtra, said camps in foreign conditions helped him learn new things and adjust with climate conditions.

"On the match day (for medal), it was very hot out there at the shooting range but I kept myself calm and also kept pressure at bay," the ace marksman said.

Asked about wrestler Vinesh Pogat's disqualification from the 50kg women's gold medal match for being overweight by 100 grams just ahead of the final, Kusale said being a player he can understand what emotions an athlete goes through in such a situation.

The ace shooter clinched India's first-ever Olympic bronze in the 50m rifle 3 positions event at Paris last week.

After arriving at the Pune international airport, Kusale, who hails from Maharashtra's Kolhapur district, visited the famous Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati temple located in the heart of the city and offered prayers.

After the shooter won the bronze medal, the Maharashtra government announced a prize of Rs 1 crore for him and he also got a promotion from his employer Central Railway.

The Central Railway appointed Kusale as an officer on special duty, nine years after he joined the national transporter as a commercial-cum-ticket clerk in its Pune Division.

Kusale had earlier won gold medals at the Asian Games in China in 2023, in the World Cup in Baku (Azerbaijan) in 2022 and in New Delhi in 2021. PTI SPK NP RSY