Kusale gives India third medal, China’s Liu wins shooting gold

Swapnil Kusale won the bronze medal in the Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions event at the Paris Olympics, in Chateauroux on Thursday. He also become the first Indian shooter to bag a medal in this event at the quadrennial extravaganza.

Kusale scored a total of 451.4 points in the eight-man final for a third-place podium finish. Liu Yukun of China clinched the gold with a total of 463.6. Ukraine’s Serhiy Kulish scored 461.3 and claimed the silver medal.

Overall, this is India’s third medal at the Paris Olympics. Earlier, Manu Bhaker won two bronze medals in the women’s 10m Air Pistol and 10m Air Pistol Mixed team event with Sarabjot Singh.

After the end of the kneeling and prone rounds, Kusale was ranked fifth with a score of 310.1. In the standing position, an elimination round, the Indian was consistently placed in the top four and eventually sealed a bronze medal finish.

The 28-year-old Kusale, who is Asian Games gold medallist in the team event, was the first-ever Indian to qualify for the final of the men’s 50m rifle 3 position.

Swapnil finished seventh in the qualification round on Wednesday with a score of 590-38x. The top eight of the 44 shooters competing in the qualifying round made it to the final. Asian Games silver medalist Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar finished 11th and missed out on the final.

In the qualifications, Swapnil scored a total of 590, including 38 inner 10s, from three positions. The 28-year-old Indian shooter scored 198 from kneeling, 197 from prone and 195 from standing positions.

There couldn’t have been a better pre-birthday gift for himself and the country as he scripted history by bagging only the second Olympic medal for Maharashtra after a long gap of 72 years.

Agencies