SWAPNIL SCRIPTS EPIC SAGA

AFTER FINISHING FOURTH ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS IN THE PAST, SHOOTER KUSALE RISES TO THE OCCASION TO WIN INDIA'S THIRD MEDAL AT THE PARIS GAMES ON THURSDAY

KAMBALWADI village in Radhanagari Tehsil is some 30km away from Kolhapur. There are about 200 households in the 237-hectare place. It is just a speck in the district’s map. It has a total population of about 987 people (according to 2011 census). Out of that 478 are female and 509 are male. Among those 500-odd males is one Swapnil Kusale, the one who gave a new identity to the place. The shooter bagged bronze for the country at the grandest of stages – the Paris 2024 Olympics. If someone has not heard about the village until now they will.

A thousand kilometres away, tucked away in the tranquil countryside of France at Chateauroux, a shooter from that nondescript village etched his name among the shooting greats of the country. After Manu Bhaker’s air pistol and team along with Sarabjot Singh bronze medals – this is India’s third medal. He became the first Indian shooter to reach the final in 3-position and the first to win a medal. This is the best-ever medal haul from shooting in one event. For a shooter who did not have his own rifle at one point a medal is more than just a surreal journey. It’s a result of the collective belief of his family, coaches and all those who backed him. The 28-year-old was on his debut Olympics and was playing second fiddle to more established 3-position shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar.