‘Missed Jaspal Rana a lot sir’: Manu Bhaker gets emotional after 2026 Asian Games opening ceremony

Manu Bhaker and Jaspal Rana (Image credit: Agencies) Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker remembered her late coach Jaspal Rana after he carried the Indian flag at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Asian Games on Saturday.Bhaker said she missed Rana during the ceremony, making the special occasion emotional. She carried the Indian flag alongside kabaddi star Pawan Sehrawat.“I missed him a lot today sir Jaspal, he was the flag bearer at the Asian Games. It was a really emotional day without him by my side,” Bhaker said after the ceremony.

Rana played a pivotal role in Bhaker’s career

Rana, a former batsman and coach, died on June 11 at the age of 49. He played an important role in Bhaker’s career, leading her to two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.Bhaker has previously spoken of Rana’s influence on her approach to opening ceremonies at multi-sport events.Rana told Bhaker that she could attend such ceremonies only if she was the flag bearer. Otherwise, he wanted her to watch them on TV since her competitions usually started soon after the opening ceremony.

Rana’s advice made the moment more special

Bhaker is competing in her third Asian Games. She missed the opening ceremony at her first Games in 2018 because she was based in Palembang, far from the main athletics village in Jakarta.She later attended the opening ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games and recalled Rana’s advice to focus on her competition.That advice made Saturday’s event even more emotional when Bhaker herself walked out as one of India’s flag bearers at the Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium.

Bhaker is now concentrating on shooting

Bhaker is the only athlete from independent India to win two medals in a single year of the Olympics.He will now turn his attention to the shooting competition. She is scheduled to compete in mixed teams in the women’s 10m air pistol, the women’s 25m pistol and the 10m air pistol.