Swapnil Kusale Clinches Historic Bronze for India in Paris Olympics

Indian shooter Swapnil Kusale secures historic bronze in men's 50m rifle 3P at Paris Olympics, marking the third medal in shooting for India. Former coach Vishwajeet Shinde expresses immense joy over the victory.

Indian shooter Swapnil Kusale made history at the ongoing Paris Olympics by winning a bronze medal in the men's 50m rifle 3 Positions event, marking the first for India in this category. Kusale's accomplishment has brought immense joy to the nation, according to his former coach Vishwajeet Shinde.

'I am very happy he got an Olympic medal today. His victory is a matter of great joy for us. This is the result of the hard work he did and I am very happy for him,' Shinde told ANI. Kusale finished third with an aggregate score of 451.4, securing India's third overall medal in shooting at these Games. He had earlier qualified for the final by finishing seventh in the qualification round with a score of 590-38x.

In the qualification round, Kusale and fellow Indian shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar competed, with Kusale advancing to the final but Tomar missing out by finishing eleventh. Meanwhile, Liu Yukun of China's People's Republic set the qualification Olympic record with a score of 594-38x.

Elsewhere in the Games, Indian shooter Manu Bhaker opened the medal tally for the nation with a bronze in the women's 10m air pistol event, redeeming herself after a disappointing Tokyo Olympics. Bhaker, along with Sarabjot Singh, also clinched a bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event, defeating South Korea in the play-off match.