It was a proud moment for Swapnil Kusale and coach Deepali Deshpande as they received the much-awaited cash awards from the Maharashtra state government in Mumbai on Monday. Needles controversies had emerged after Swapnil, bronze-medal winner in the 50m Air Rifle event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, was kept waiting for the recognition. His father had demanded Rs 5 crores, plus some land in Pune. As per the policy of the state government, Swapnil got an award of Rs 2 crores and his coach, Deepali, got Rs 20 lakhs.
In a chat with RevSportz on Tuesday, Deepali spoke of the challenges ahead. “Frankly speaking, I am happy Swapnil can focus again on shooting,” she said. “He will resume training on October 16 in Pune. He has already resumed physical training, and getting back to shooting proper and focusing on the technical aspects will happen in the coming days.”
She put emphasis on the mindset and praised Swapnil for being cool at all times. At the same time, the coach is not concerned about Arjun Babuta, who missed a medal narrowly at the Paris Olympics. Babuta has been speaking on the horrors of Paris and how it has haunted him. However, his coach was not worried. “I know Arjun well,” she said. “He is open and speaks his heart out. In the case of Swapnil, he has been away from shooting since August 1, but Arjun has been training for the ISSF World Cup Finals for a long time and likes to be in Delhi in the company of shooters. Now that he has said what he wanted to, he will prepare with dedication.”
Arjun competes today in the finals at the Karni Singh ranges in Tughlakabad. Akhil Sheoran will also compete on Wednesday.
With regards to the training and mentoring of the shooters, Deepali spoke on the process as well as their maturity. She herself was not present in Chateauroux, venue for the Paris Olympics, but all the rifle shooters who train under her have been very expressive about her methods. She has come to Delhi specifically to see how Babuta and Sheoran perform.
“The larger picture will be training for the next cycle, which begins with the Nationals,” said Deepali. “All the shooters who want to get back have to go through the process.”
The World Cup Finals will run from October 15 to 17. There is a strong Indian presence, which has been highlighted by ISSF President Luciano Rossi.
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