Swapnil Kusale: All You Need to Know About His Background, Career, Family, Personal Life

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Swapnil Kusale, who won bronze medal in Men's 50m Rifle 3 event at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Thursday (August 1), is an Indian shooter who was born on August 6, 1995, in Radhanagari, Maharashtra.

In 2022, he secured an Olympic quota berth for the men’s 50-metre rifle 3-position event by finishing in fourth place at the World Championship held in Cairo, Egypt. Swapnil finished fifth in the final trials for the Paris 2024 Olympics. He was chosen as the second shooter due to his impressive scores in the initial three trials.

Early Life and Education

Swapnil's schooling journey included a notable moment when he chose to ignore his board exams in class 12 to watch Abhinav Bindra compete in the finals of the 2008 Olympics. His sporting journey began in 2009 at the age of 14 when his father enrolled him in the Krida Prabhodini Scheme under the government of Maharashtra. Initially, he received his training in Nashik before later moving to Pune to further develop his skills in shooting.

Personal Life

Swapnil has been employed by Indian Railways as a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) in the Pune Division of Central Railway since 2015.

The most challenging period for Swapnil arose from ongoing physical struggles linked to a long-term health issue which became particularly problematic just before the final set of Olympic trials in Bhopal.

He faced a chronic tonsils problem that had been recurring over the past few years, causing him severe pain, fever, and weakness for extended periods. After consulting multiple doctors, the underlying cause was finally identified in December. It was determined that Swapnil was lactose intolerant and he was advised to completely eliminate milk products from his diet.

Shooting Career

Following a year of intense physical training in Krida Prabhodini, Swapnil was required to select a single sport and he ultimately chose shooting.

In 2015, he claimed the gold medal in the junior category for the 50m rifle prone 3 event at the Asian Shooting Championships held in Kuwait. He also triumphed at the 59th National Shooting Championship in Tughlakabad, finishing ahead of Gagan Narang and Chain Singh in the 50m rifle prone event. He replicated this success at the 61st National Championship in Thiruvananthapuram, where he secured another gold medal in the 50m rifle 3 positions event.

Swapnil had the opportunity to make history at the Asian Games 2023 as he was close to securing India's first gold medal in shooting sports in the 50m 3P event. However, he was unable to seize the moment and his final shot of 7.6 caused him to drop from first place to fourth.