Swapnil Kusale drew inspiration from MS Dhoni to achieve Olympic glory

Shooter Swapnil Kusale clinched a bronze medal in the 50m rifle 3 positions event in Paris Olympics on Thursday. With Swapnil’s third place finish, India’s overall tally increased to three at the ongoing Paris Games.

Swapnil drew inspiration from former Team India skipper M S Dhoni as he too is a railway ticket collector like the cricket icon was early in his career.

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

A shooter needs to be calm and patient and Swapnil has these traits. These traits are also the hallmark of Dhoni’s personality. It is therefore no surprise that Kusale relates to Dhoni’s life story.

Swapnil has watched the biopic of Dhoni multiple times. He always dreams to match the lofty achievements of the veteran wicket-keeper batsman.

“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,” said Swapnil.

Also Read | Shooter Swapnil Kusale Wins Bronze in 50m rifle 3 Positions at Olympics