Olympic medallist Kusale visits Ganesh temple in Pune

Shooter Swapnil Kusale, who won a bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics, arrived in Pune on Thursday, where he was accorded a grand welcome.

Maharashtra's Kusale clinched the first-ever Olympic bronze in 50m rifle 3 positions event last week.

He arrived at the Pune international airport in the morning, where he was received by people amid the beating of traditional dhol-tasha drums.

Kusale, who hails from western Maharashtra's Kolhapur, then visited

the famous Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati temple located in the heart of the city, where he offered prayers.

He is scheduled to visit the shooting range at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex at Balewadi in the city, where he will be felicitated.

After Kusale won the bronze medal, the Maharashtra government announced a prize of Rs 1 crore for him.

The Central Railway also promoted Kusale and appointed him as an officer on special duty. He had joined as a Commercial cum Ticket Clerk in Central Railway's Pune Division in 2015.

Kusale had earlier won gold medals at the Asian Games in China in 2023, in the World Cup in Baku in 2022 and in New Delhi in 2021.

• THE OLYMPICS, 2024