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Swapnil Kusale reacts during the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men event of the Shooting competitions in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Shooting centre in Chateauroux, France, 01 August 2024. (Photo: PTI)
Indian shooter Swapnil Kusale made history on Thursday by securing a bronze medal in the 50m Rifle 3 positions event at the Paris Games, raising India’s medal count to three. Kusale stood on the podium alongside China’s Liu Yukun, who won gold, and Ukraine’s Serhiy Kulish, who took silver.
Following his achievement in Paris, Kusale, a travelling ticket examiner (TTE) for the Indian Railways, was promoted to Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Sports Cell in Mumbai. Central Railway’s chief public relations officer, Swapnil Nila, confirmed to news agency PTI that Kusale’s promotion order had been issued.
But this promotion is not a surprise for Kusale, who has been seeking it for nearly a decade now. Kusale, who joined Central Railway in 2015, had not received a promotion despite his repeated requests. “He was very disappointed by the attitude of his office,” his coach, Deepali Deshpande, told the Times of India in an interview.
“He has been working with the Railways for the past nine years but was never considered for promotion,” the national daily quoted her as saying.
However, Renjith Maheshwari, assistant sports officer at Central Railway, refuted the coach’s claims that Kusale’s promotion was delayed. “We have spoken to the general manager and hopefully, he will get a double promotion in two days,” the report quoted him as saying.
“He was asked to report to the office before going to Paris to push his promotion file. Swapnil didn’t go to the office as he was busy training,” Deshpande added. After Kusale’s medal win, Central Railways issued a directive for his promotion on Thursday.
Meanwhile, TOI cited Kusale’s colleagues at the Railways who agreed that Kusale was hurt by the treatment from his seniors. “Whenever Swapnil asked about his promotion, he received rude replies, which hurt him more,” said a colleague anonymously.
Swapnil’s bronze, India’s third
Previously the first Indian to reach the event’s final, Swapnil had consistently been in the top 5 before securing a medal in the final standing section of the event. In the qualification round, the 28-year-old shooter scored a total of 590, including 38 inner 10s (Xs), across three positions: 198 in kneeling, 197 in prone, and 195 in standing.
All three of India’s medals so far at the Games have come from shooting events. The last time a 50m rifle shooter reached the Olympic finals was in 2012 in London, where Joydeep Karmakar finished fourth in the 50m rifle prone event, a discipline now removed from the Olympics. Kusale, once a ticket collector, draws inspiration from cricket legend MS Dhoni.
First Published: Aug 02 2024 | 9:32 AM IS