CHENNAI: On his Triumphant return from Paris, where Swapnil Kusale won a bronze medal, Maharashtra's first individual Olympics medal since KD Jadhav in Helsinki 1952, he received a hero's welcome at his hometown of Kolhapur. Amidst the ongoing celebrations, the 29-year-old opened up about these unprecedented festivities surrounding his win, the role of his personal coach of more than 12 years, Deepali Deshpande, how he prepared for the Games alongside his mental health coach and more Excerpts:
On the grand welcome he received in Kolhapur
The grand welcome I got back home in Kolhapur was beyond exceptional. All the excitement with the people of Kolhapur and their love for me made me tear up a little. It makes you think how much it meant to people as well. The elephant ride on the streets of the city and seeing how happy everyone who participated was made it even more special. I cannot thank the administrative officers of Kolhapur and everyone else who planned. The villagers from Kambalwadi also participated in this and then there was a separate felicitation when I reached my village. It was something I had never experienced before, but this time I thoroughly enjoyed it.
On meeting family after Paris
When I reached Pune, my entire family including my mother, father and brother came to see me. My mother did not want to leave me, but because of the Independence Day function and meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, she had to go. She was not ready at all. My brother has always been my rock and he is still the first call I make if I need anything. He will drop everything he is doing to help me out. I count myself lucky that I have a family like this.
On mental preparation with his psychologist
Given that this was my first Olympics, I did not have any emotional baggage from any of the previous Olympics like many others. However, like all of the athletes present at the Games, I too felt the pressure. My psychologist, Vaibhav Agashe Sir, prepared me well for these situations even before I reached Paris. Through multiple sessions, he simplified what I needed to do to perform at the highest level. We had talked about what I needed to be doing to keep myself on track while shooting. I was constantly speaking with him throughout the competition, right from reaching Paris till before my final. To be honest, I have talked more with him during the Olympics than I have with my personal coach (Deepali). One has to remain mentally stable in shooting. Of course, you have to be physically fit. And Deepali ma’am has helped me with my techniques, but at the end of the day, mental preparation also matters. All of this work leading into the Olympics came in handy and I believe that is why I could win a medal.
On his personal coach and what sets her apart
One of the most important aspects of Deepali ma’am is that she does not seek her own benefit. Her lone aim is to make sure her students are giving their best and achieving the highest honours. With her, ultimately, it is always about her students. Even her daughter teases her about this. Let’s say if me, Arjun (Babuta) or Anjum (Moudgil) calls Deepali ma’am her daughter will tease her saying “Oh please take the call. Your son/daughter is calling.” (Laughs) I think she is responsible for creating that bonding between us athletes as well. She has never pushed us to pay her fees or anything. As far as I am concerned, she has never asked for fees from me. Even when I did not have any sponsors, she did not ask for fees. Then it becomes our responsibility to make sure we achieve this success for her. She is a sensitive person. When she was the coach during the Tokyo Olympics and India could not win a medal in shooting, I think she was hurt after the Games. However, she used that to make sure we were prepared better to handle the pressure of the biggest event. She made sure we knew what the stage was like and how we should be prepared for this throughout the cycle. I think that’s what sets her apart.
On concentrating on his own game during the competition
When you are competing, you have to remain consistent. That was the one thing I kept telling myself throughout the Games. All the time spent in preparation, and all the hard work has to come out when it matters the most. And instead of looking at how others are performing, I kept concentrating on my own shooting. I tried to implement all the practice time and did not look at the screen to check my ranks or how my opponents were doing. I think that helped me. My psychologist had made it clear to me that all I needed to focus on was myself and nothing else. I don’t have to compare myself with anyone else.
On what goes into his mind between positions
Let’s say once the round of shooting in the kneeling position is over and I am preparing for prone, I have to forget everything that went in during the first position. We have to start from scratch while preparing for the next position. All I can think about between the two positions is making my rifle ready for the next position. When I finally take the position for shooting, I completely concentrate on how well-positioned I am to give my best shot. Maintaining the heartbeat does play a great role in all of this. For that, one has to concentrate on physical workouts. I do prefer running and if it is going well, I feel confident and it helps with keeping the heartbeats under control. In a way, physical fitness is non-negotiable.
On what's next
I think my aim is bigger (than winning the bronze medal). I want to bring the gold home. We celebrated with a dinner after the event in Paris. It was organised by the President of the National Rifle Association of India. It was a lovely celebration, but I am aware that I have to work hard to convert this bronze into gold. I know that winning the medal at the Olympics in itself is a big deal and I am proud that I could add it to our medal tally, but still, I want to do better in LA 2028.