Shooter Swapnil Kusale reveals he had a lucky charm that helped him win bronze in Olympics
Swapnil Kusale is on cloud nine. The ace shooter created history at the Paris Olympics in 2024. He bagged a bronze medal in the Men’s 50m rifle 3 Positions event in Paris with a final score of 451.4. He secured India's third shooting medal in Paris, following the victories of Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh. While Kusale is not superstitious, he does keep a special key chain to ward off the evil eye. His mates Akhil Sheoran and Shriyanka Sadangi gifted him the chain before he left for Paris.
For Kusale, the chain proved to be a lucky charm. He became the first Indian male to win bronze in the men’s category.
He narrated the incident to PTI. “Just before I was to travel to Paris, my best friends Akhil and Shriyanka came to meet me and gifted me a keychain to guard me against the evil eye. They said, 'bhai jeet ke aana hai' (return a winner)." That, and the learnings imparted by personal coach Deepali Deshpande and 'elder sister' Tejaswini Sawant, says Swapnil, played a huge role in his Olympic success,” he told the news agency.
He also talked about his bond with fellow athletes. “The three of us—me, Akhil, and Shriyanka—have been together for years, and they take care of me whenever I am in Delhi. We share a very strong bond. Akhil is like my brother, and Shriyanka is my sister. We are a family whenever we are in camp. or competition… so many years we have spent together since our junior days," he told PTI.
In another interview with ANI, Kusale reflected on what might have contributed to him missing out on the
