Manu Bhaker breaks down remembering Jaspal Rana after Asian Games heartbreak

Manu Bhaker fought back tears after missing out on a medal at the Asian Games, but her emotions could not be contained when she was asked about her former coach and mentor Jaspal Rana. The 24-year-old finished fifth in the women’s 10m air pistol final in Aichi-Nagoya on Wednesday.

It was Bhaker’s first multi-sport event since Rana died of heart problems at the age of 49 in June. The shooting legend played a pivotal role in her career and his absence was deeply felt when she returned to the Asian Games. Asked about Rana after narrowly missing the stage, Bhaker struggled to speak as she remembered the lessons he had left her.

“If I remember all these years … it’s not like you remember once or twice, it stays with you. When a person was a big part of your life, it stays,” Bhaker said.

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Rana had a major impact on Bhaker’s career, guiding her to two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He was also one of India’s most successful shooters at the Asian Games, winning eight medals, including four golds, in three editions.

For Bhaker, his biggest lesson was to focus on the process rather than the outcome. “He was always so adamant about the process — that you have to be able, every day, every point in your life, whenever you’re shooting, you have to be able to give your best performance and watch your progress,” she said.

Bhaker tried to follow that advice in Wednesday’s final, but an 8.9 on her eighth shot put her out of medal contention. “As much as anyone wants to deny it, yes, it definitely hurt the odds a lot,” she said.

Her preparations in Japan were also far from smooth sailing. Bhaker said Tuesday’s pre-practice was particularly challenging.

“I had some problems like yesterday, PT (pre-training) wasn’t good at all – lots of matches, lots of stuff and I wasn’t able to see the spotters properly,” she said.

In qualifying and in the final, she made following her procedure a priority.

“My practice came first and I did that in qualifying and in the final. I managed most of the shots exactly as I planned, like my practice. But a few shots were not so good,” she said.

Rana’s absence made the contest particularly difficult for Bhaker. She recalled how she was looking forward to competing in Japan under his guidance.

“Of course, he was like the Asian champion, he was like the best of the best. When I came to the Asian Games (in Jakarta 2018), I think he was like the undisputed champion and yes, I was really looking forward to Japan and the circumstances were,” she said before pausing to compose herself.

Rana’s advice to Bhaker went beyond shooting. She remembered one message in particular.

“Life is very unpredictable and live it to the fullest, be kind and everything,” she said.

Bhaker said she performed better in the Asian Games final than during the mock final in Bhopal before the Games.

“When you compare the performance from there to here, the performance here is a little bit better,” she said.

“I’m sure I can be even better in the future and I can improve.”

She also thanked her support team, including Serbian coach Jelena Arunovic, for helping her through the tough times.

“You just see me, but so many people work so hard for us to be able to perform,” Bhaker said. “Coach Jelena… was so hardworking and patient with everything,” she added.

Bhaker left the Asian Games without an individual medal in the women’s 10m air pistol, but said she remained positive about her performance. “I’m very grateful and I really hope I can do better,” she said.

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

23 Sep 2026 15:09 IST