Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker remembered her late coach Jaspal Rana during the Asian Games opening ceremony, describing the occasion as an emotional one as she carried the Indian flag alongside kabaddi star Pawan Sehrawat.
“Missed Jaspal sir a lot today, he was a flagbearer at the Asian Games. It was indeed an emotional day without his presence by my side,” Bhaker said after the ceremony.
Rana, a celebrated shooter and coach, died on June 12 at the age of 49. He played a significant role in Bhaker’s career and guided her to two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Bhaker had previously spoken about Rana’s influence on her participation in opening ceremonies at multi-sport events. With shooting competitions often beginning soon after the ceremonies,
Rana had advised her that she could attend an opening ceremony only if she was the flag-bearer. Otherwise, he told her to watch it on television and prioritise her competition.
Bhaker missed the opening ceremony at her first Asian Games appearance in 2018, when she was based in Palembang, away from the main athletes’ village in Jakarta. She later attended the opening ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games but continued to follow Rana’s advice about prioritising competition.
Six years later, Bhaker herself walked out as one of India’s flag-bearers at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, making the moment particularly significant in the context of Rana’s advice and their association.
The 24-year-old is competing at her third Asian Games and will now shift her focus to the shooting events. She is scheduled to compete in the women’s 10m air pistol, women’s 25m pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team events.
Bhaker is also the only athlete from independent India to win two medals at a single edition of the Olympics, having secured two bronze medals at the Paris Games in 2024.
(With PTI Inputs)
