The parents of Olympic shooting bronze medalist Swapnil Kusale on Thursday said they were sure he would win a medal for the “tricolour and the country”. “We let him focus on his work and didn’t even call him yesterday so that he should not get distracted,” Swapnil’s father Suresh Kusale told reporters in Kolhapur, soon after their son won a bronze for India in Paris. “For the last 10 to 12 years, he was mostly away from home, focusing on his marksmanship. I was sure he would win a medal for India and wouldn’t let the tricolour down. “People have been calling up incessantly to congratulate us,” said Suresh, a school teacher. As Swapnil shot to glory in the 50m rifle 3 positions event, taking India’s tally to three at the Paris Games on Thursday, his family and friends exploded in joy at his home in Kolhapur district.
His mother Anita, who had been praying just moments before, burst into tears. Other family members and neighbours watching the event live exulted, filling the air with “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.
Suresh said they could not put into words the efforts they had made for their son over the last several years. “But it was his sheer hard work and determination that paid off today,” said the ecstatic father, who apparently spent about Rs 25 lakh on Swapnil’s training.
As he expressed immense pride in Swapnil for bringing fame to their village, Suresh also thanked his coach, Dipali Deshpande, saying she took great care of him.
Swapnil’s mother said the family hails from Kambalwadi village in Radhanagari tehsil of Kolhapur district in western Maharashtra.
“He studied in a public school and developed a liking for shooting while at Sangli,” she said. He later went to Nashik for further training in the sport, added Anita, who is also the sarpanch of their village.
Swapnil’s brother expressed his gratitude to all the countrymen for supporting and believing in the 28-year-old shooter.
The medal for Swapnil comes following the stunning performance of Manu Bhaker, who clinched the women’s 10m air pistol and mixed team 10m air pistol bronze alongside Sarabjot Singh.
Swapnil, who finished seventh in a tightly-contested qualification on Wednesday, has been working as a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) in the Central Railway’s Pune division since 2015 and is a big fan of cricket icon MS Dhoni.
“I don’t follow anyone specific in the shooting world. Outside of that, I admire Dhoni for the person that he is. My sport requires me to be as calm and patient as he is on the field. I also relate to his story as I am a ticket collector like he was,” Kusale had told PTI on Wednesday.
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