Paris 2024 Olympics: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde Announces ₹1 Crore Prize Money For Bronze Medalist Swapnil Kusale

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday announced a prize of Rs 1 crore for shooter Swapnil Kusale, who won a bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Kusale clinched the first ever Olympic bronze in 50m rifle 3 positions event, taking India's overall tally to three at the ongoing Paris Games.

Shinde also tod reporters he had spoken to Kusale's father and coach and had wished the ace shooter via a video call.

"The Maharashtra government is announcing a prize of Rs 1 crore for Kusale. He will be felicitated on his arrival from the Olympics," the CM said.

It is a matter of pride that Kusale, who belongs to Maharashtra's Kolhapur, has brought laurels to the country through his achievements in the world of sports, the CM had earlier said.

Who Is Swapnil Kusale?

Swapnil Kusale comes from an agricultural background in Pune. In 2009, Kusale's father took him to Maharashtra's Krida Prabhodini, a dedicated sports programme, where he began receiving his shooting lessons.

After a year of Intense training and trying hands at various sports, Swapnil Kusale became with shooting and decided to pursue to it as a career.

Pune-born shooter's dedication and passion for shooting became recognized and Lakshya Sports has been sponsoring him since 2013.

Swapnil Kusale was initially coached by Deepali Deshpande and now trains under the tutelage of Tejaswini Sawant in Kolhapur. Apart from being shooter, Swapnil has been working as a ticket collector at Central Railway since 2015.