Paris Olympics 2024: Then Dhoni, now Swapnil Kusale, the inspirational story of ticket collector

Swapnil Kusale (Instagram/swapnil_kusale)

Swapnil Kusale advanced to the 50m rifle three positions final at the Paris Olympics 2024. Further Swapnil Kusale said that he relates to former India captain MS Dhoni as he too is a ticket collector like Dhoni was in the early stages of his career.

Swapnil Kusale is from Kambalwadi village which is located near Kolhapur in Maharashtra. He has been featuring in international events since 2012 but the shooter has to wait 12 years years to make his Olympics debut.

Being calm and patient are prerequisites 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.

Swapnil Kusale has watched the biopic of MS Dhoni multiple times and is hoping to match his achievements.

The final of the 50m 3P shooting is scheduled to be played on Thursday. With this, India will dream of claiming their third medal at the Paris Olympics 2024.

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"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 PTI shortly after finishing seventh in a tightly contest qualification here.
Kusale has been working for Central Railways since 2015.

His two rivals from the Czech Republic also shot 590 but the Indian had the most inner 10s -- 38 -- compared to Jiri Privratsky and Petr Nymbursky, who sealed the eighth and last qualification spot.

Swapnil Kusale's father and brother work as teachers in a district school and his mother is the sarpanch of Kambalwadi village.

"Every shot is a new shot. I was just trying to be patient. The whole match I had the same mindset. Just shoot with patience. At the back of the mind, you are thinking about your scores but it is better if you don't," said Kusale.

In his debut Olympics, Kusale is well aware of the fact that his job is still half done. So far, Manu Bhaker's run in the Paris Olympics 2024 has also provided a dose of motivation.

"It has been a great experience so far. I love shooting and I am glad that I have been able to do it for so long. Seeing Manu do well gives us a lot of confidence. If she can do it, we can do it too," said Kusale.

National coach Manoj Kumar Ohlyan was tracking Kusale's progress from a distance and he is bullish about his chances in the final.

"He is in a good frame of mind. We are hoping for the best. We just want him to perform the way he did today. He was patient. He is good technically and physically," added Ohlyan.

(With PTI Inputs)