Chateauroux, the venue for shooting events in the Paris Olympics, is turning out to be one of the most memorable places for the Indian contingent with Swapnil Kusale adding a third medal to the tally. The 28-year-old won a bronze medal in the 50m rifle 3 position event on Thursday.
In the event that consists of the kneeling, prone and standing positions, fired in that order, Kusale maintained his position in the middle of the table throughout the final before making the most of his chances to confirm the medal.
Liu Yukun of China won the gold medal while Serhiy Kulish of Ukraine won the silver medal. This is India's third medal in the Paris Olympics after two others won in the women's 10m air pistol and mixed 10m air pistol.
Coming from a modest family background in the Kolhapur district, Kusale's family has played a big role in his success.
"I cannot thank my family enough for supporting me. They had faith in me that even though shooting was something new for all of us, my father felt that I had to do this. At one point, I did not have my own rifle, so he took a loan to get one for me," he told The New Indian Express before the start of the Games.