Latest news with #Kusale
Hindustan Times
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Olympic medallist Kusale back in action
New Delhi: Paris Olympics 50m rifle 3 Position bronze medallist Swapnil Kusale will return to top-flight action at the Munich World Cup starting on Tuesday. Kusale took a four-month break after the Games, returning at the National Championships and National Games, finishing third in both events. He narrowly missed making the cut for the Buenos Aires and Lima World Cups. In India's highly competitive field, it is tough to constantly remain in the national team. This season, competition is intense among two-time Olympian Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Kusale, Olympian Chain Singh, national champion Kiran Ankush Jadhav, World Championship medallist Akhil Sheoran and National Games winner Neeraj Kumar. The top three make it to the team. Kusale has done well to return to the top three in domestic rankings, with Chain Singh, who won bronze in Buenos Aires, at the top. The close competition means no shooter can relax. The contest for an India berth will only get tougher with the World Championships scheduled in Cairo in November. Aishwary, Chain and Neeraj were picked for the first two World Cups, and now Swapnil and Jadhav are getting a look-in. Kusale warmed up for the season at the Grand Prix of Liberation in Plzen last month, winning silver with a score of 463.5. The Munich World Cup will be his first ISSF competition. Kusale's world changed after his rise to the Olympic podium. The quiet Kolhapur shooter soaked in the spotlight after his Olympic success before taking a break. 'His life changed so much after Paris. He was constantly attending events. Initially, it was a bit of a struggle to adapt, but he is very clear in his head. So, after the break when he came back, he was totally focused,' national rifle coach Deepali Deshpande told HT from Munich. 'He is shooting well. The Liberation Cup served as good exposure, and he is now ready for the ISSF World Cup.' The World Championships are at the top of his plans and the performance in Munich will give him an idea where his preparations stand. 'The conditions are good in Munich, and all of them are experienced shooters. Most have come here multiple times and are very comfortable with the range,' she said. The 50m rifle 3P shooters will have the first elimination round on Tuesday, while the women's 10m air rifle and men's 10m air pistol finals are on the first day. Varun Tomar will lead India's charge in air pistol, which also has debutants Aditya Malra and Nishant Rawat. Olympic medallist Sarabjot Singh will compete in the ranking points section. In women's air rifle, two-time Olympian Elavenil Valarivan, Arya Borse and national champion Ananya Naidu, who is making her World Cup debut, will compete.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Munich World Cup: Paris medallist Swapnil Kusale adds 10m air rifle to his repertoire; says need to strengthen his standing position
**EDS, YEARENDERS 2024: PARIS OLYMPICS** Chateauroux: Bronze medallist India's Swapnil Kusale poses during the presentation ceremony of the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions shooting event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Chateauroux, France. (PTI Photo) ( New Delhi: India's ace shooter Swapnil Kusale is set to return to competitive action for the first time since his historic bronze medal-winning performance at the Paris Olympics. He will take part in the forthcoming ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup in Munich, Germany, scheduled for the first week of June. Kusale did not participate in the Argentina and Peru legs of the World Cups due to not-so-impressive scores at the national selection trials. However, the 29-year-old's name has been included in India's 23-member contingent for the Munich WC, where the Kolhapur marksman will compete in his pet 50m rifle three positions event. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'I am starting my international season with Munich. The preparations are good. I have worked on certain aspects of my technique, especially shooting during the standing position. I have also fixed some issues with my rifle and brought a new gear set. I didn't travel to the last two legs of the WCs because I wanted to shoot some really good scores before getting picked in the Indian team,' Kusale told TOI on Thursday. Kusale, who made history as the first Indian shooter to secure a medal in the men's 50m rifle 3P at the Paris Games, said he wants yo participate in the 10m air rifle category as well to enhance his future medal prospects. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Sudoku Kingdom - Free Sudoku Puzzles Online Undo He has commenced training under the guidance of coach Deepali Deshpande, a former shooter and Asian Games medallist. 'I used to compete in the 10m air rifle during my junior days. But then I stopped to focus on the 50m rifle 3P category. With an aim to win a medal at the Paris Olympics, which I eventually did, the effort was to train for only one event. But now I believe the time has come to start competing in both events (50m rifle 3P and 10m air rifle) simultaneously. My coach (Deepali) has already started imparting coaching to me. Competing in the 10m air rifle event will also help strengthen my standing position, which I have realised I need to work on. I am good at prone and kneeling. The air rifle will help me improve my standing aspect,' he said. The Arjuna awardee indicated his intention to professionally compete in the 10m air rifle at the forthcoming 'Shooting League of India' (SLI), scheduled from Nov 20-Dec 2 here. 'After returning from the Munich WC, I'll plan out my training schedule with the coach. The effort will be to start competing in both from the shooting league. It's a busy calendar year for us, leading up to the Asian Games in 2026. I want to win as many medals for India as possible… so adding the 10m air rifle to my repertoire seems a logical decision. It's very precise and the equation is totally different when compared to 50m rifle 3P,' said Kusale, who works as an OSD in the Maharashtra govt's sports department. Shooting league logo launched The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) on Thursday officially launched the logo for the inaugural edition of the shooting league at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range here. The unveiling saw Paris Olympics medallists Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh, and a host of other Indian shooters, including Arjun Babuta, Elavenil Valarivan, Sandeep Singh, Sift Kaur Samra, Anjum Moudgil, Ashi Chouksey, Chain Singh, Arjun Singh Cheema, Palak, Simranpreet Kaur Brar, Akhil Sheoran and Rahi Sarnobat. All these shooters are part of the Indian contingent for the Munich WC.
NDTV
5 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Eyeing Top Podium Finish In 2028 Los Angeles Games: Swapnil Kusale
Emboldened by his landmark bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Indian shooter Swapnil Kusale is now working on his goal to strike gold in the next edition of the Games in Los Angeles. In Paris last summer, Kusale became the first shooter from the country to win an Olympic medal in the 50m rifle 3 positions event. Kusale, who won gold medals at the 2021 and 2022 World Cups, is not content with the success so far and wants bigger medals. "The big target is next Olympics but in between whatever events comes is important. My focus and vision is on LA and working towards that," Kusale told PTI during an interaction on the sidelines of the logo launch of inaugural Shooting League of India (SLI) here on Thursday. "Obviously, need to think and dream big and like any other athlete I am also looking for the top spot. "My current focus is on World Cup, then will concentrate on Asian Games selection trials," added Kusale, who is part of the Indian contingent for the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Munich from June 8 to 16. "Next is Munich World Cup and we are leaving tonight, hope to give my best there." The bronze medal in Paris is yet to sink in for Kusale, but he has set his new goals and is working towards achieving them. "The journey since Paris was quite good. I am right now working on some things which I had missed or erred in Paris. Life now is little different from what it used to before Paris, but I am loving it, enjoying it," he said. "I have made some changes health wise, body, fitness and obviously in shooting." Talking about his journey post Paris Games, Kusale said: "After Olympics first event was National Championships and I won bronze medal there, after that was National Games where I again won bronze. After that it was all trials." "I didn't participate in last two World Cups because I needed some rest." Kusale said rifle shooting attracted him after he watched the sport at the 2008 Youth Commonwealth Games. "I started shooting in 2009, may be at the age of 14 or 15. It was Youth Commonwealth Games in 2008 and I watched that on TV, and online, and saw rifle shooting there and felt something is different from rest of disciplines, and I started liking that," he said. "I played so many games, I played volleyball for one and half years when I was in school. I also played a bit of hockey but professionally my interest was in shooting." The 29-year-old shooter from Maharashtra feels the upcoming SLI will be a game-changer for the sport in the country. "It is a big platform for Indian shooters. Those who will come from abroad will attract our budding shooters, our performance will also get better. We will get to learn a lot," Kusale said. "Youngsters will get to learn a lot from this league. They will get to know how a higher level athlete performs, how he prepares and handles situations." The inaugural SLI will be held from November 20 to December 2 between six to eight franchises, but the details are yet to be finalised.
