Nita Ambani extends congratulations to shooter Swapnil Kusale on winning Historic Olympic Bronze; Says THIS

India's shooters keep the flag flying high at the Paris Games as Swapnil Kusale clinched the bronze on Thursday, securing third place in the men’s 50m Rifle Prone Positions event. Kusale made history as the first Indian to medal in this category at the Olympics.

Scoring a total of 451.4 in the eight-contender final, the 29-year-old bagged the bronze, contributing to India's total of three medals – all earned in shooting. Manu Bhaker secured a bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol individual event and later teamed up with Sarabjot Singh to grab another bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed event.

Nita Ambani, an International Olympic Committee member, commended Kusale for his dedication and hard work, extending congratulations to the shooter's family as well.

“We are incredibly proud of Swapnil Kusale for creating history at the Paris Olympics by winning India’s first-ever medal in the 50m rifle event, and our third Bronze in shooting at these Games," Nita said in a statement.

“His hard work and dedication have brought glory to the nation! Heartiest congratulations to Swapnil, his family, and the entire team," she added.

Kusale secured the seventh position in a tightly contested qualification round on Wednesday. Hailing from Pune, he has been employed with Central Railways since 2015 and is a big fan of the iconic Indian cricketer MS Dhoni.

“I don’t follow anyone specific in the shooting world. Outside of that, I admire Dhoni for the person that he is. My sport requires me to be as calm and patient as he is on the field. I also relate to his story as I am a ticket collector like he was," Kusale told news agency PTI.

Kusale initially had a slow start but rallied back to claim the third spot in his debut at the world's grandest sporting event.

He held the fourth spot following the initial standing series. Although the first shot of the final round in kneeling was a modest 9.6, Kusale displayed a remarkable recovery. Scoring a 10.6 and 10.3 propelled Kusale briefly into second place. However, subsequent shots of 9.1 and 10.1 nudged him back to fourth position.

But a 10.3 shot boosted him to third place, which he held onto to secure a medal. Initially sixth with a score of 153.3 after the kneeling stage, he climbed to fifth with a total of 310.1 after the prone stage. In the latter part of the competition, Kusale elevated his performance, joining Bhaker and Sarabjot as medalists in this edition of the Games.