Karma, that’s one key word Dronacharya Jaspal Rana uses to describe the way his ward Manu Bhaker could peak at the gruelling OST (Olympic Selection Trials) and eventually at Chateauroux, venue for the Paris 2024 Olympics. This was one of the most captivating comebacks by a coach and shooter after enormous amount of bitterness, which became full-blown news for the media after the Tokyo Olympics.
Sample this, when Manu failed to win a big medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, she looked lost. The smile was missing on her face even as the other shooters managed to fire medals. As one looks back at Indian sports in 2024, for Manu and coach Jaspal to work together and win medals for India will remain a historic high. Never before did an Indian athlete win two medals at a single edition of the Olympics. At the same time, for Jaspal to accompany her to Europe, prior to the Paris Olympics and keep her in a good frame of mind was devotion. It was like a father trying to help out his own daughter. There was no salary to be earned, there was no official coaching contract. It was just a “national commitment” as Jaspal said, when asked to reflect on this journey.
A lot of hard work went in, from both Jaspal and Manu. The training schedule was hard, and the summer heat not easy to deal with. Manu had no off days and to complain was a waste. The reply from Jaspal was: “You need to go through all this now and then rest after the Olympics.” There were days when Manu was in pain, yet she could not go through a massage session as she had to be at the ranges next day. To breach the pain barrier and peak, that’s what Jaspal did to ensure nothing would distract Manu. RevSportz has done several interviews of Jaspal Rana and Manu Bhaker. One quote from Manu which stays etched forever is: “Jaspal Sir brought back the smile on my face.” It’s to be seen in all her photos which have been captured.
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It was not easy at all. After failing at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Manu contemplated quitting shooting. She reached out to her coach and mentor and the journey began in the summer of 2023. Less than one year to prepare for Manu and get everything back into her shooting — technique, temperament and the effort of training for hours without a break — this was devotion from both. The best of athletes crave for a “cheat day” which is not really related to food, but not wanting to train. Manu was never allowed that by the coach. Jaspal’s reply was constant: “You take a break after the Olympics, not one day off till then”
Rewind to the two bronze medals Manu won in Paris 2024, the air pistol bronze came courtesy long hours of training and how perfecting the slow-fire event would stand her in good stead even for sports pistol. When she won her first medal, to stay in control of her emotions and not get carried away, that was not easy at all. It was constant advice from Jaspal that she had two more matches to go and she should not lose her focus, which kept her going. Sure enough, when she won the mixed air pistol bronze medal with Sarabjot Singh, it became historic. No Indian had won two medals in a row at the Olympics.
If that was going to be a stage where she could ease off, no, Jaspal would not let her relax. “One more match, you cannot go easy,” he told her. It was bad luck Manu finished fourth in the sports pistol event (25 metres). Reflecting on Paris 2024, Jaspal told RevSportz on Wednesday: “Manu was supposed to win a medal in sports pistol, that was her strength. She won two medals but to get there again, she has to again slog.” His message is clear, for all those who think Manu will win medals in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, there has to be a reality check. “Manu has started training but the main goal in 2025 will be doing well in the NRAI trials, then get selected for the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya. We will talk of LA later,” he said very crisply.
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