CHATEAUROUX/PARIS, Aug 1:
Little-known shooter Swapnil Kusale kept a firm grip on his nerves despite a growling tummy and a racing heart to secure India’s first ever Olympic medal in the 50m rifle 3 positions event on a day when four strong podium contenders from the country, including the iconic P V Sindhu, were knocked out of the Games.
Kusale shot an aggregate of 451.4 in the eight-shooter final to finish third after being placed sixth at one stage.
It took the country’s overall tally to three, all bronze in shooting, and left it at the 42nd spot on the medal table.
His brilliant performance was followed by a spate of disappointments as two-time Olympic medallist shuttler Sindhu, two-time world champion boxer Nikhat Zareen (50kg), badminton’s celebrated men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, and promising rifle shooter Sift Kaur Samra made their way out of the event.
Lakshya Sen was the lone bright spot as he advanced to the quarterfinals at the expense of compatriot H S Prannoy in the men’s singles badminton event, holding out hope for a medal from the racquet sport.
The country could nonetheless celebrate thanks to Kusale’s medal, which came close on the heels of the stunning performance of Manu Bhaker, who clinched the women’s 10m air pistol and mixed team 10m air pistol bronze alongside Sarabjot Singh.
Their combined effort has ensured that India, for the first time in its Olympic history, has a haul of three medals from one single sport.
“I did not eat anything, was feeling the butterflies (in my stomach). Just had black tea and came here. The night before every match, I just pray to god,” Kusale said after his unprecedented achievement.
“Today the heartbeat was on the higher side. I just tried to control my breathing and did not try anything different,” he added.
Kusale, whose father and brother are teachers in a district school and his mother the sarpanch of Kambalwadi village near Kolhapur in Maharashtra, finished behind China’s Yukun Liu (463.6) and Ukraine’s Serhiy Kulish (461.3).
The last time a 50m rifle shooter made it to the Olympic finals was in 2012 London when Joydeep Karmakar finished fourth in 50m rifle prone event, which has been discontinued at the Games.
He was in the fourth place after the first standing series. Considered a high-scoring round, Kusale’s first shot of the final in kneeling was a lowly 9.6, but he made an excellent recovery after that. (PTI)
Paris Olympics: India schedule – Day 7
Golf
Men’s Individual Finals (Round 2): Shubhankar Sharma and Gaganjeet Bhullar – 12.30 pm
Shooting
Women’s 25m Pistol Qualification Precision: Esha Singh and Manu Bhaker – 12.30 pm
Men’s Skeet Qualification Day 1: Anantjeet Singh Naruka – 1.00 pm
Archery
Mixed Team (1/8 Eliminations): India (Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat) vs Indonesia – 1.19 pm
Rowing
Men’s Single Sculls Finals (Final D): Balraj Panwar – 1.48 pm
Judo
Women’s +78kg (Elimination round of 32): Tulika Mann vs Idalys Ortiz (Cuba) – 2.12 pm
Sailing
Women’s Dinghy (Race 3): Nethra Kumanan – 3.45 pm
Women’s Dinghy (Race 4): Nethra Kumanan – 4.53 pm
Men’s Dinghy (Race 3): Vishnu Saravanan – 7.05 pm
Men’s Dinghy (Race 4): Vishnu Saravanan – 8.15 pm
Hockey
Men’s Tournament (Group stage): India vs Australia – 4.45 pm
Badminton
Men’s singles quarterfinals: Lakshya sen vs Chou Tien Chen (Chinese Taipei)– 6:30pm
Athletics
Women’s 5,000m (Heat 1): Ankita Dhyani – 9.40 pm
Women’s 5,000m (Heat 2): Parul Chaudhary – 10.06 pm
Men’s Shot Put (Qualification): Tajinderpal Singh Toor – 11.40 pm
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