Paris: Swapnil Kusale secured 7th place in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions, advancing to the final medal round, while his compatriot Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar finished 11th at the Paris Olympics 2024 on July 31, Wednesday.
Swapnil proved to be the more consistent of the two, scoring 198 points in the Kneeling round, 197 in the Prone round, and 195 in the Standing round to claim 7th place. His total score was 590 points with 38 inner 10s.
With this performance, Swapnil joined the ranks as the 5th shooter to reach a final at the Paris Olympics 2024, following Manu Bhaker, Arjun Babuta, Sarabjot Singh, and Ramita Jindal. Yukun Liu of China topped the round and set an Olympic qualification record with 594 points and 38 inner 10s.
Swapnil began strongly in the Kneeling round, swiftly scoring three consecutive 10s in the first series. Although a 9 interrupted his streak, he quickly recovered, ending the series with six consecutive 10s.
He scored 99 in the second series to rank 5th after the Kneeling round. Aishwary had a less impressive start with a couple of 9s for 98 points in the first series. Despite scoring 99 in the second series, he was outside the top 10 as competition intensified.
In the Prone round, Aishwary excelled, starting with a perfect 100. His second series was nearly flawless, marred only by a 9 on the eighth shot. Swapnil scored two 9s in his first series and 99 points in the second, placing him 10th as the Standing round approached. Aishwary, initially 6th, fell to 8th based on inner 10s.
Aishwary began the Standing round with a 10, while Swapnil started with a 9. However, Aishwary’s subsequent two 9s saw him drop out of the top 8, as Swapnil climbed to 8th with seven consecutive 10s. Aishwary’s struggles persisted with a third consecutive 9.
Swapnil fell out of the top 8 when his first series concluded with a 9, totalling 98 points. He began the second series strongly, hitting four 10s and moving into the top 5, while Aishwary’s rank continued to decline.
Yet, three consecutive 9s pushed Swapnil out of the top 10. He completed his final series with three 10s. Aishwary finished his final series with 193 points and had to rely on other competitors’ results.
