Swapnil Kusale: The Calm Marksman Inspired by MS Dhoni
Hailing from Kambalwadi village near Kolhapur in Maharashtra, Swapnil Kusale started competing at the international level back in 2012 and finally made his Olympic debut at the Paris Olympics 2024. The 29-year-old shooter hopes to emulate another cricket icon, M S Dhoni, who happened to be a former railway ticket collector. Inspired by Dhoni Kusale, working with Central Railways since 2015, has always been an admirer of former India captain Dhoni because of his calmness and patience, which are two very important virtues for cricket and shooting alike. “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 shared. One could see his admiration for Dhoni’s life story as he has watched the biopic of the World Cup-winning cricketer numerous times. Family Support and Local Roots Kusale draws strength from more than just his admiration for Dhoni. His father and brother work as teachers in a district school, and his mother is the sarpanch of Kambalwadi village. It is this strong family foundation that has contributed heavily to his rise through the ranks to the Olympics. An Aim to Win Olympic Medals In a tight qualification, Kusale finished seventh and only ahead of his Czech rivals through counting inner 10s – he scored 38 to their 36. Afterwards Kusale explained his strategy for the event: “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.“ Coach’s Confidence and Peers’ Motivation National coach Manoj Kumar Ohlyan sounded quite confident about Kusale’s prospects in the finals, saying, “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.“ She also took inspiration from fellow shooter Manu Bhaker, who had enjoyed unprecedented success at the Games. “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,” Kusale said. Keeping cool, his Dhoni-like patient calm will be equally important as he waits for a final placing, hopefully inside the top three, that will catapult him into the ranks of Indian sport’s high achievers. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye
