New Delhi: Jaspal Rana will continue to coach double Olympic medallist shooter Manu Bhaker after the young shooter confirmed the continuation of their professional journey together.
Bhaker’s comments come in the wake of Dronacharya awardee’s appointment as the High-Performance trainer for pistol discipline by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) earlier this month.
Rana and Bhaker reconciled after an ugly fall-out to deliver two bronze medals for India at the 2024 Paris Olympics 2024. Rana helped a struggling Bhaker make a remarkable comeback at the Paris Games and guided her to unprecedented twin medals. Courtesy of bronze medals in 10m air pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team events in Paris, Bhaker became the first Indian to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics since Independence.
Bhaker admits that none of that would have been possible without Rana’s guidance. Rana has been appointed as the High-Performance coach for pistol shooters by the National Rifle Association, but Manu still considers him as her coach.
“He is my coach”
“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 in Delhi on Monday night.
Rana has played a key role in building a strong base for Indian shooting while serving as the National coach for the juniors for about a decade.
Manu took a long break after her Paris Olympics heroics to work on her sore elbow. She made her return to the competitive circuit at the National trials in New Delhi earlier this month and finished second behind Rhythm Sangwan. Despite not finishing on the top in trials, Manu was satisfied with her performance.
“It was a pretty decent comeback. I am satisfied with what I have achieved in the trials,” she said.
Manu also opened up about her future plans and confirmed her participation in the World Cups in April followed by some domestic competitions in June.
Four-time Asian Games medallist Jaspal Rana has been appointed as the High Performance coach for pistol shooters by the NRAI but Manu still considers him as her coach. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
