EXCLUSIVE/ 'It is an emotional moment': India's Olympic Hero Extremely Proud of Bronze Medalist Swapnil Kusale

Swapnil Kusale has conquered the Bronze medal in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions at the Paris Olympics thereby ending the 12-year-long drought in rifle shooting. Following Gagan Narang's historic Bronze medal win in the 10m Air Rifle in London 2012, India only endured disappointment in this sphere but the days of celebration have returned. Gagan Narang now has company in the glory space in the form of Swapnil Kusale. Upon witnessing the latter at the podium, the former shooter could not hide his delight for the athlete from Maharashtra.

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Gagan Narang Heaps Praise On Swapnil Kusale

Following Swapnil Kusale's clutch display which fetched him the Bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, Republic TV caught up with Gagan Narang. The Olympic medalist showered praise on Kusale and hailed him as the inspiration for budding shooters.

"It is a brilliant effort from Swapnil today and the three-positioned unit of the Indian shooting team. I am very very proud of them. It is an emotional moment for me because I used to shoot this event myself and was one of my favourites. Of course, I missed out on winning a medal in this event, but today Swapnil, what a fantastic effort. I must say, what a great performance. The three-position unit was struggling to break through and Swapnil has broken the glass ceiling and has made all the three position shooters believe in India that we can all win a medal."

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On Manu Bhaker's Unparalleled Achievement

As shooting has till now proved to be the only reaper for India at Paris Olympics 2024 in terms of medals, Narang also spared words for medal winners Manu Bhaker, who became the first Indian to capture two medals at a single Olympic event, and Sarabjot Singh.

"Manu has had her fare share of disappointments which is very very unfortunate. I think she fueled her fire from Tokyo. The fire burnt brighter than ever and she is a very very special athlete. She has also become the first Indian to win two medals in one Olympics. and going for a third. She could make all the Indians believe that they can win Olympic medals. She has made all the Indian women believe that they can win an Olympic medal and they can do anything that they want. What a fantastic achievement so far"

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Gagan Narang Highlights The Struggles He Had To Face To Eventually Become An Olympic Champion

An Olympic medal is a result of sheer hard work and determination, moreover, struggles become a part and parcel of an athlete's life. To elaborate on the subject, Narang highlighted the struggles he and his parents had to face to push him to the forefront.

"Struggles are a part of every athlete's life. My parents had to sell a house to buy a gun for me and then we stayed on the rented house for twenty years. Its a part of life. I believe that these are the little little things that make us earn the medal and when you win it, the victory is sweeter than anything. What an amazing story they've all had. Sarabjot, Manu Bhaker, Swapnil Kusale. They have all come from very very humble backgrounds. This shows that today if you can dream it, you actually achieve it. The way the government has worked in terms of the support given, the coordination between federations. The IOA is working very hard and it all boils down to giving everything that is required of our athletes and then leaving it up to them to give their best."