Shooter Swapnil Kusale secures a bronze medal in the 50m rifle 3 positions event at the Paris Olympics.

Châteauroux: Indian shooter Swapnil Kusale won the country’s first-ever Olympic bronze in the 50m rifle 3 positions event, bringing India’s total medal count to three at the ongoing Paris Games on Thursday.

Kusale scored a total of 451.4 in the eight-shooter final, securing third place after being in sixth position earlier in the competition.

The 28-year-old’s bronze medal follows the impressive performances of Manu Bhaker, who secured a bronze in both the women’s 10m air pistol event and the mixed team 10m air pistol event alongside Sarabjot Singh. All three of India’s medals at the Paris Games so far have come from shooting events.

The last time an Indian shooter reached the finals in the 50m rifle event was at the 2012 London Olympics, where Joydeep Karmakar finished fourth in the 50m rifle prone event, a discipline that has since been discontinued at the Olympics.

Kusale, formerly a ticket collector, draws inspiration from cricket icon MS Dhoni.