Swapnil received key chain to ward off evil at Paris, says Coach Deepali

Shooter Swapnil Kusale isn't really superstitious but when fellow mates Akhil Sheoran and Shriyanka Sadangi gifted him a small key chain to ward off evil eye, he readily accepted it before boarding the flight to Paris for the Olympics.

Swapnil has found himself being defeated by fate in several top-notch competitions, including the Asian Games in 2023 and the 2022 World Championships in Cairo, where just one shot -- and a few decimal points -- pushed him to fourth place.

But in Paris, the 29-year-old set the record straight, becoming the first Indian ever to win a bronze medal in 50m rifle 3-positions event at the Olympics.

While Akhil and Shriyanka, both 50m rifle 3-positions shooters, had secured Olympic quota places for the country, they could not make the cut for the Games following the Olympic Selection Trials conducted by the National Rifle Association of India.

"Just before I was to travel to Paris, My best friends Akhil and Shriyanka came to meet me and gifted a key chain t