“It Stays With You”: Beyond the Competition, Manu Bhaker Remembers Jaspal Rana

Nagoya, Sep 23: The tears came not after the final shot, but with the mention of a name.

Manu Bhaker finished fifth in the women's 10m air pistol final at the Asian Games, missing out on a medal. Yet the disappointment of the result was not what overwhelmed her. It was the memory of Jaspal Rana, a person who has donned many hats for Bhaker: that of coach, mentor and a father figure in her shooting journey, who died of cardiac issues in June, aged just 49.

The Asian Games was Bhaker's first multi-sport event since Rana's death, making her return to the continental stage an emotionally charged one.

"If I remember all those years... it's not that you remember once or twice; it stays with you. When a person has been a big part of your life, it stays," Bhaker said, visibly emotional.

Rana had been a major influence on Bhaker from her formative years and guided her to two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. For Bhaker, his lessons extended well beyond the shooting range.

His most enduring message was simple: focus on the process, not the result.

That was precisely what Bhaker tried to do in Nagoya. An 8.9 on her eighth shot, however, proved costly and significantly dented her medal hopes.

"As much as anyone wants to deny it, yes, it definitely compromised the chances a lot," she acknowledged.

Yet there was no attempt to hide behind the result. Bhaker spoke instead about the turbulent preparation she had endured in Japan. Tuesday's pre-training session had been particularly difficult, with the 24-year-old struggling to see her sighters properly.

Against that backdrop, she felt her final performance was an improvement.

"My process was the number one thing, and I was able to do that in qualification and also in the finals," she said. "Most of the shots I was able to do exactly how I had planned."

Rana, an eight-time Asian Games medallist and four-time gold medallist, had himself been a legend of the competition. His three golds at the 2006 Doha Games, won despite competing with a high fever, remain part of his remarkable legacy.

Bhaker had hoped to experience the Asian Games in Japan under his guidance. Circumstances changed that. "He was like the Asian champion; he was like the best of the best," she recalled.

And when asked what Rana had told her about life, the answer was not about medals or technique. "Life is very unpredictable and live it to the fullest, be kind and everything."

Those words now carry a weight far beyond the shooting range. Bhaker also credited her current coach, Serbian expert Jelena Arunovic, and the larger team supporting her. The fifth-place finish may not have added another medal to her Asian Games tally, but Bhaker chose to see it as another step forward. "I'm positive that in the future I can do even better and can keep improving," she said.

For Bhaker, the pursuit continues, carrying with her not only the lessons of a champion, but the memory of the man who taught her how to navigate both victory and defeat.