India's Olympic Medalist Swapnil Kusale Requested The Railways For A Promotion For 9 Years

PARIS: Indian shooter Swapnil Kusale brought laurels to the country by clinching a bronze medal in the 50m rifle 3 positions event on Thursday.

The 29-year-old hailing from Kambalwadi village located near Maharashtra's Kolhapur has pushed India's medal count to 3.

By doing so, he has also scripted history by becoming the first Indian shooter to win an Olympic medal in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions event.

Kusale's journey from Pune to Paris has been nothing short of exceptional as he had to overcome plenty of hurdles that came along his way.

Winning the Olympic bronze has helped him achieve something he has been striving after for the last nine years - a promotion.

As per reports, Swapnil Kusale has been employed as a travelling ticket examiner (TTE) for the Indian Railways since 2015. During this period, his request for a promotion has been denied several times.

His coach Deepali Deshpande told the media that Swapnil was very disappointed by the attitude of his office, adding that he has never been considered for a promotion despite working for the past nine years.

“He was asked to report to the office before going to Paris to get his promotion file pushed. Swapnil didn't go to the office since he was busy training,” she further added.

This was confirmed by one of his co-worker, who said that Kusale was upset by the behaviour of his seniors.

The colleague went on to say that Swapnil got rude replies whenever he has asked about his promotion.

However, the tides have turned completely after his heroics at the Paris Olympics and his promotion has been fast-tracked.

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

The promotion order for Kusale has been issued, Nila confirmed to news agency PTI.

"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," Central Railways 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 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.

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