Manu Bhaker after winning a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol final, Bhaker’s coach Jaspal Rana. (AP/PTI and Express photo by Mihir Vasavda)
Eyeing glory in next World Championship, double Olympic medallist shooter Manu Bhaker said Jaspal Rana will continue to be her “coach” despite the Dronacharya awardee being roped in as the High Performance trainer for pistol discipline by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
Rana, a four-time Asian Games gold medallist, had a very bitter and public fallout with Manu before the Tokyo Olympics but they reconciled before last year’s Paris Games, where the latter made history by bagging two bronze medals.
“Honestly, I only have to say one thing that he (Rana) is my coach all I know and he is very good at what he does. He is very, very talented and he has been a great coach for me.
“All I know and all I can say is that he is my coach. Of course, he can be anyone else’s coach as well but for me he is my coach,” Manu said after winning the BBC Sportswomen of the Year 2024 award at a glittering function here on Monday night.
Under Rana’s personal guidance, Manu, who was struggling after the Tokyo Games, made a remarkable comeback and became the first Indian to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics since Independence.
She won bronze medals in 10m air pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team events in Paris to create history.
Talking about her future plans, Manu said: “We will be going for World Cups in April, and then we have some domestic competitions in June.
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“It will be followed by another World Cup in Munich. Then we will have the World Championships, probably in late October or November. My target is the World Championships. I want to peak at the right time for the World Championships,” she added.
The season-ending World Championships will be held in Cairo, Egypt, from November 6-16.
Her unprecedented success in Paris wouldn’t have been possible without Rana’s guidance and Manu agrees to it. Manu, who turned 23 on Tuesday, considers Rana as her father figure, while the coach gives her the courage and confidence to seek and achieve great things in her sport.
Rana now has been roped in as the High Performance coach for pistol shooters by the NRAI but Manu still considers him as her mentor.
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Rana had earlier served as the national coach for the juniors for about a decade, building a strong base for Indian shooting.
After the Paris Olympics, Manu took a long break and was working on her sore elbow.
Upon her return to the competitive circuit at the National trials here earlier this month, Manu finished second behind Rhythm Sangwan but she was satisfied with her performance.
“It was a pretty decent comeback. I am satisfied with what I have achieved in the trials,” she said.
