Indian shooter Swapnil Kusale qualified for the 50m Rifle Three Positions Men’s event after finishing seventh in the qualification round.
The top 8 athletes qualify for the finals. A total of 44 athletes contested for a place in the finals. Two shooters represented India, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Swapnil Kusale.
Swapnil made the cut for a top 8 whereas Aishwary Pratap Singh finished 11th in the qualification round.
Swapnil became the first Indian to reach the 50m Rifle Three Positions Men’s event final. He ended his tally of 60 shots with 590 points out of which 38 were inner 10s.
These were enough to get him a place inside the top eight shooters. He got off to a strong start when he managed scores of 99 in the first two series, which were taken in the kneeling position.
He followed that up with scores of 98 and 99 in the prone position.
In the final couple of series, in standing position, scores of 98 and 97 got him through to the final. The other Indian shooter, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar scored 589 points out of which 33 were inner 10s.
Aishwary missed a place in the finals by just two points. The finals will be played on 1st August, Thursday at the Chateauroux – Final Range.
Swapnil draws inspiration from former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He admires Dhoni for his calm and patient demeanor, qualities that are essential for shooting.
The entire nation will be glued to their televisions on the 1st of August to witness the finals. After a 12-year wait, Swapnil got a chance to represent India at the Olympics.
Looking at Swapnil’s journey to the finals, an Olympic medal looks much within his reach. We’d love to see the tri-color being hoisted once again. We wish Swapnil all the very best for the finals.