Indian shooter Swapnil Kusale secured a bronze medal in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) event at the Paris Olympics on Thursday. Kusale’s achievement marks the first time an Indian shooter has won a medal in this event.
Kusale finished third in the final with an aggregate score of 451.4, earning India’s third medal in shooting at these Games. His journey to the podium began with a strong performance in the qualification round, where he finished seventh with a score of 590-38x, securing a spot in the final.
Indian shooters Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Swapnil Kusale both competed in the qualification round of the men’s 50m 3P. Kusale’s seventh-place finish allowed him to advance, while Tomar, who scored 589-33x, ranked 11th and did not make it to the final. In the qualification round, Liu Yukun of China set an Olympic record with a total score of 594-38x.
Kusale’s accomplishment not only adds to India’s medal tally but also represents a significant milestone in Indian shooting history, as he becomes the first Indian to reach the medal round in the men’s 50m rifle 3P event at the Olympics.
Earlier in the Games, Manu Bhaker opened India’s account with a bronze medal in the women’s 10m air pistol event. Bhaker’s performance was particularly noteworthy as she overcame the setback of a pistol malfunction at the Tokyo Olympics. Her bronze in Paris made her the first Indian woman in 20 years to reach a shooting final in an individual Olympic event since Suma Shirur in 2004.
Additionally, the Indian shooting duo of Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh secured another bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event, defeating South Korea’s Lee Wonho and Oh Ye Jin 16-10 in the bronze medal play-off match.
