Paris 2024 Olympics shooting: Swapnil Kusale wins bronze medal in 50m rifle 3P after brilliant turnaround

Indian shooter Swapnil Kusale won the bronze medal in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions final at the Paris 2024 Olympics shooting competition on Thursday.

This was India’s first-ever Olympic shooting medal in the 50m 3P and the third medal in rifle shooting after Abhinav Bindra’s gold in men’s 10m air rifle at Beijing 2008 and Gagan Narang's bronze in the same event at London 2012.

“I have a lot of emotions right now," Kusale said. “This medal means a lot. It is not a gold, but I am pleased I got a medal. To get an Olympic medal is a dream.”

Shooting at the National Shooting Center in Châteauroux, Kusale was sixth after the first 15 shots in kneeling positions with 153.3 - two off Norweigian shooter Jon-Hermann, who led the field at the point.

However, some consistent shooting in the three series in prone position and two series in standing positions, saw the 28-year-old Indian shooter climb up to third at the end of stage 1, following which the bottom two shooters were eliminated.

With one elimination after every single shot in stage 2 after that, Kusale shot 10.5, 9.4 and 9.9 with his next three shots to hold his position in the top three and confirmed a medal.

However, a 10.0 with the next shot wasn’t enough to keep him in contention for the gold.

The People’s Republic of China’s Liu Yukun, the world record holder in the event, won the gold medal with 463.6 while Ukraine’s Serhiy Kulish (461.3) picked up his second Olympic silver to add to his earlier one from Rio 2016. Kusale tallied 451.4.

Kusale had earlier made the eight-man final on Wednesday by finishing seventh in the qualifiers with a total of 590. Fellow Indian shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar had missed the cut after finishing 11th.

India has now won three medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics so far and all of them have come in shooting.

Before Kusale, Manu Bhaker won a bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol individual event before teaming up with Sarabjot Singh for another medal of the same colour in the 10m air pistol mixed team.

Later in the day, India’s Anjum Moudgil and Sift Kaur Samra failed to progress to the final of the women’s 50m rifle 3P event.

Needing to make the top eight in the qualifiers to make Friday’s final, Moudgil shot 584 to finish 18th while Samra took 31st place with 575.