‘I relate to MS Dhoni’s story as I’m a ticket collector too’: Kusale

Kusale competes in the 50m rifle 3 positions qualification. Pic/AP; PTI

Indian shooter Swapnil Kusale on Wednesday qualified for the finals of 50m rifle 3 positions here after finishing seventh in the qualification round, but Aishwary Tomar ended at the 11th position to make an exit.

Kusale shot 198 (99, 99) in kneeling position, 197 (98, 99) in prone and 195 (98, 97) in standing position as Top 8 shooters in a field of 44 made it to the final round.

Kusale finished with an overall score of 590 (38x), while Tomar accumulated 589 (33x) with shots of 197 (98, 99) in kneeling position, 199 (100, 990) in prone and 193 (95, 98) in standing position.

The finals of 50m rifle 3 positions will be held today. Kusale draws inspiration from MS Dhoni as he too is a railway ticket collector like the cricket icon was early in his career.

The 29-year-old from Kambalwadi village near Kolhapur in Maharashtra has been competing in international events since 2012, but he had to wait another 12 years to make his Olympics debut.

Being calm and patient are pre-requisites for a shooter and those two traits are also the hallmark of Dhoni's personality. It is, therefore, no surprise that Kusale relates to Dhoni's life story. "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 said after finishing seventh in a tightly contest qualification here.

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