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After having a good run in the ongoing ISSF Cairo World Shooting Championships being held in Egypt, India’s Swapnil Kusale's last shot landed in the 8.2 ring during Saturday's final of the men’s 50m rifle 3 position. In target shooting, a score of below 10 is considered a bad shot at the world level.
A bad shot did spoil Kusale’s podium finish, yet he won the Paris 2024 Olympic Games quota spot by virtue of finishing fourth. The top four shooters in each of the Olympic disciplines at the World Shooting Championships are eligible for Olympic quota places. India have won three quota places so far.
“Sorry! My last shot,” the 27-year-old rifle shooter texted a message to his long-time coach Deepali Despande back home in Mumbai.
Swapnil Kusale's coach reacts to his performance
Deepali, a former international and Olympian, has been guiding Swapnil Kusale since 2013 when he was in the junior ranks.
“Off the target in the last shot indicates that the shooter could have been under some sort of pressure,” Deepali explained. “We still have two years to polish skills for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
The 50m rifle 3 position event is the most challenging of all the shooting disciplines. It becomes tougher when the competition is happening at the shooting ranges in the desert region.
Swapnil Kusale maintained his composure during Friday's qualification round for the 50m rifle 3 position followed by elimination on Saturday.
“There was just a 45-minute gap between the elimination round and the final competition. The shooter has to be mentally tough to withstand the demands of the 50m rifle 3 positions,” the rifle coach from Maharashtra told Sportskeeda.
The rifle coach expressed her satisfaction as the overall performance was good.
"Kusale competed with the best in the business. The leading shooters from across the globe were in the fray for top positions and staying focused in the tough field itself was a big achievement for the Indian rifle shooter,” Deepali said.
“Right from qualification to elimination to the final round, Kusale was outstanding. Earning a Olympic quota place will certainly give a boost to his confidence.”
Kusale has been one of the rifle shooters who has been around for some time at the domestic level and competed at the international level too. But this season he has been on target.
Earlier in June, Swapnil Kusale won silver in the men’s 50m rifle 3 position at the Baku World Cup. It was Kusale’s first big medal till date. He continued to impress at the World Shooting Championships in Egypt.
“Scoring high at shooting ranges in desert regions like Cairo is always challenging. The conditions are windy. The shooter should be patient to score good cards,” Deepali told Sportskeeda over the phone from Mumbai.
