Swapnil Kusale’s tonsillitis and the tendency to become “a little emotional” when things aren’t going in his favour had left his coach Deepali Deshpande a tad worried before he left for Paris.

However, the 29-year-old figured a few things out, tweaked his technique a bit when it mattered and fulfilled his dream of winning an Olympic medal in the 50m 3 position event.

In fact, had he been at his accurate best on Thursday, the colour of the medal could well have been different for Swapnil. “He could have won the gold medal today (Thursday),” Deshpande told The Telegraph.

“The thing is, prone and kneeling are his strengths, but he wasn’t really too good or accurate with them.”

Nonetheless, staying in touch with his coach during his competition eventually benefited the Kambalwadi (near Kolhapur)-based shooter. “I’ve been training Swapnil since 2013, so I told him to maintain his routine.

“He has a problem of tonsillitis and suffered because of that previously in important competitions. So, taking good care of his health was the most important thing for him. Besides, he tends to get a bit too emotional and doesn’t want to talk when things aren’t going his way, which happened this time as well.

“Thankfully, a couple of days later, he figured out a few things, making small changes in technique. That worked,” Deshpande said.

A medal win in 50m 3 position event is one of the toughest, Deshpande acknowledged. “Three different positions are to be mastered in this category, as it’s like shooting three events at one time, which is why it becomes a little harder.

“Also, in 50m 3P, every equipment we require has to be imported. That actually makes it a little harder. But, Swapnil’s determination and the way he worked on himself has been amazing,” the coach stated, adding: “He likes taking challenges as well.

Swapnil’s father Suresh, a village school teacher, had to take a lump sum loan and even sold a bit of his land so that his son could pursue his dream. “For 14 years, Swapnil has been training very hard. That hard work matters the most.

“I spoke to him at around 4pm today (Thursday). I just told him, ‘Isske baad tum aur bhi naam kamaoge (You’ll become even more famous from hereon)’,” a proud Suresh said.

That’s guaranteed.