How MS Dhoni Played A Big Role In Swapnil Kusale's Journey To Rare Olympics Feat

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 was a railway ticket collector like the cricket icon was early in his career. The 29-year-old from Kambalwadi village near Kolhapur in Maharashtra has been competing in international events since 2012 but he had to wait another 12 years to make his Olympics debut at the Paris Games. Being calm and patient are pre-requisites for a shooter and those two traits are also the hallmark of Dhoni's personality. It is therefore no surprise that Kusale relates to Dhoni's life story.

He has watched the biopic of the World Cup winner multiple times and hopes to match the lofty achievements of the champion cricketer.

A top-three finish in the 50m rifle three positions final here on Thursday would certainly put Kusale in the list of high achieves in Indian sport.

"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 told PTI shortly after finishing seventh in a tightly contest qualification here.

Kusale has been working for Central Railways since 2015.

His two rivals from Czech Republic also shot 590 but the Indian had the most inner 10s -- 38 -- compared to Jiri Privratsky and Petr Nymbursky, who sealed the eighth and last qualification spot.

He also doesn't have to look too far beyond home for inspiration. His father and brother are teachers in a district school while mother is the sarpanch of Kambalwadi village.

The fancied Aishwary Pratap Tomar ended 11th with a total of 589 in a session