Updated On: 02 August, 2024 07:52 AM IST | Chateauroux (France) | PTI
Ask him why it took him so long to arrive, and he’s as candid as one can be. “May be I was not as strong mentally,” says the 28-year-old son of a teacher father and sarpanch mother from Kolhapur, who began shooting in 2009, made his international debut in 2012 but took another 12 years to make his Olympic debut

India’s 50m rifle 3p bronze medal-winning shooter Swapnil Kusale takes a selfie with gold medallist China’s Liu Yukun (center) and silver medallist Serhiy Kulish of Ukraine (left) atop the victory podium in Paris yesterday. Pics/AP; PTI
Swapnil Kusale doesn’t quite know just why it has taken so long for him to be at the Olympics, where he landed a medal on debut on Thursday.
A medal that’s definitely life-changing for him personally, but also historic in significance for Indian shooting given that it’s the first time that a rifle shooter has managed to do it in the physically draining 50m rifle 3 positions event.