NEW DELHI: Double Olympic medallist shooter Manu Bhaker has clarified that Jaspal Rana will continue to be her coach despite his recent appointment as the High Performance trainer for the pistol discipline by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
Rana, a four-time Asian Games gold medallist, had a fallout with Manu before the Tokyo Olympics, but they reconciled before the 2024 Paris Games, where Manu made history by winning two bronze medals.
Under Rana’s guidance, Manu, who had been 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 the 10m air pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team events in Paris, creating history.
Manu acknowledges that her success wouldn’t have been possible without Rana’s guidance and considers him her mentor, despite his new role as the High Performance coach for pistol shooters at the NRAI.
“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 on Monday.
Manu took a long break to recover from a sore elbow. Upon her return to the competitive circuit at the National trials earlier this month, she finished second behind Rhythm Sangwan but was satisfied with her performance.
Looking ahead, Manu plans to participate in World Cups in April and domestic competitions in June, followed by another World Cup in Munich. Her primary target is the World Championships, scheduled for late October or November in Cairo, Egypt, where she aims to peak at the right time.