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

- INDRANEEL DAS

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.