Swapnil Kusale, the first Indian shooter to reach the 50m rifle three positions final at the Olympics, draws inspiration from MS Dhoni as he too is a railway ticket collector like the cricket icon was early in his career.

Being calm and patient are prerequisites for a shooter and those two traits are also the hallmark of Dhoni’s personality. It is therefore no surprise that the 29-year-old relates to Dhoni’s life story.

In the qualification round on Wednesday, Kusale finished seventh with an overall score of 590. Fancied compatriot Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar exited in 11th place, with a total of 589.

China’s Liu Yukun finished in first spot with 594.

Kusale, who’s from Kambalwadi village near Kolhapur in Maharashtra, said later: “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.”

Kusale, who has been with Central Railways since 2015, did not know about his classification until his coach told him so. “Every shot is a new shot,” he said. “I was just trying to be patient. At the back of the mind, you are thinking about your scores but it is better if you don’t.”

He knows his job isn’t done but Manu Bhaker’s unprecedented two medals
has proved to be an extra dose of motivation. “I love shooting and I am glad I have been able to do it for so long. Seeing Manu do well gives us a lot of confidence. If she
can do it, we can do it too,” Kusale added.

Trap shooters fall

Rajeshwari Kumari and Shreyasi Singh, who began the women’s trap qualification event on Tuesday, failed to make the cut-off for the final, ranking 22nd and 23rd, respectively, on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Prithviraj Tondaiman also stumbled, finishing 21st after the second day of the men’s trap qualification at the Games. Only the top six shooters make the finals.

Written with inputs from PTI