Olympic hero Kusale promoted by Central Railway to Officer on Special Duty position

Mumbai, Aug 1 (PTI) Central Railway on Thursday promoted shooter Swapnil Kusale, who won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and appointed him as officer on special duty.

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.

On the basis of his performance in the Paris Olympics, Kusale has been promoted as OSD, Sports Cell in Mumbai from travelling ticket examiner (TTE), CR chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila said.

The promotion order for Kusale has been issued, Nila added.

Kusale, hailing from Maharashtra's Kolhapur district, had joined as a Commercial cum Ticket Clerk in Central Railway's Pune Division in 2015.

Earlier, in a release, CR said Kusale's success, which has come after years of dedication and training, makes him a role model for the country's aspiring athletes.

"Kusale has made history by bagging a bronze medal. This achievement not only adds to India's medal tally but also establishes Swapnil as a significant figure in Indian shooting sports," CR said in a release.

"His success comes after years of dedication and training, making him a role model for aspiring athletes in the country," the release added.

Indian Railways has always encouraged sport persons and provided them a robust and state-of-the-art sports infrastructure with flexible working hours for practice, it said.

"Indian Railway is immensely proud of Swapnil Kusale's achievement and congratulates him on this historic milestone. His dedication and hard work have brought great honour to the Indian Railways and the nation," said the release.

"Success Through Accuracy. Congratulations to Swapnil Kusale, a Central Railway's employee, for winning the Bronze Medal in the Men's 50m Rifle 3 positions final at the Paris Olympics 2024! Your hard work and precision have truly paid off, keep aiming high! The entire nation and Central Railway are proud of you!," CR said on X.

Kusale 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. PTI