Paris Olympics 2024 Shooting: Swapnil Kusale wins bronze in 50m Rifle 3 Positions to clinch 3rd medal for India

Indian shooters continue to dazzle at the Paris Olympics 2024, with Swapnil Kusale delivering a stellar performance to claim the bronze medal in the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions event on Thursday (August 1). This marks India’s third medal at this edition of the mega quadrennial Games.

Making his Olympic debut, Swapnil Kusale has become a part of Indian sporting history. This is the first instance of India securing three medals in a single sport at an Olympic Games. Kusale now joins the ranks of fellow shooters Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh, who have also medaled at Paris 2024.

Kusale's consistent and composed performance across the three shooting positions—Kneeling, Prone, and Standing—earned him a total score of 451.4. This impressive tally placed him just behind Ukraine’s Kulish Serhiy, who secured the silver medal with a score of 461.3, and China’s Yukun Liu, who took gold with a leading score of 463.6.

Swapnil Kusale did not start strong in the kneeling position, scoring 153.3 points, placing him lower in the rankings early on. However, he bettered in the prone position, where he accumulated 157.0 points, significantly boosting his overall score. Before the standing round, Kusale found himself in fifth place.

He consistently shot in the range of 10s in the standing round to keep himself alive in the race. After his last shot of 10, his total score read 451.4 as he fell just 0.5 points behind the second-ranked Ukrainian, whose score was 451.9. Thus, Swapnil had to settle for a bronze, but he would be extremely proud of securing a medal in his debut Olympic appearance.

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Paris Olympics 2024 Shooting: Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions Final Results

1. Liu Yukun (China) - 463.6 (Gold)
2. Kulish Serhiy (Ukraine) - 461.3 (Silver)
3. Swapnil Kusale (India) - 451.4 (Bronze)
4. Privratsky Jiri (Czechia) - 440.7
5. Hegg Jon-Hermann (Norway) - 430.2
6. Kryzs Lucas Bernard Denis (France) - 418.9
7. Bartnik Tomasz (Poland) - 408.8
8. Kovacevic Lazar (Serbia) - 407.4

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