Kolhapur, a city in western Maharashtra that is known as “Dakshin Kashi”, famous for its Mahakshmi temple, its chappals and wrestling akhadas – erupted in joy on Thursday, as its son of the soil Swapnil Kusale won a Bronze medal in Olympics in the 50-metre rifle three-position final in Paris.
The shouts of “Bharat Mata ki jai…Bharat Mata ki jai…” rent the air in the nooks and corners of the historic city located on the banks of Panchganga River as 28-year-old Swapnil brought glory to Maharashtra 72 -long years after Khashaba Jadhav clinched an individual Bronze in wrestling in the Helsinki Olympics in 1952.
Glued as they were to the television sets, the family members and the people of his Kambalwadi village in Radhanagari taluka of Kolhapur district cheered the Olympic gold medallist, wept in joy and went into a celebration mode, after their own lad became the toast of the nation.
A recipient of the coveted Shiv Chhatrapati Award, Swapnil comes from a humble background.