Paris 2024 Shooting: Not one, two Ranas produced this Olympic bronze medal for India!

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Paris, Jul 30: Pressure, is one of the most often used words in sports. On Tuesday (July 30), at the 10m air pistol final hall, Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh faced pressure. That was before they stepped into their shooting lanes at the Paris 2024 Olympics arena in Chatoreuax, 275km away from Paris. Paris Olympics Special Coverage

In less than 17 minutes, Manu and Sarabjot created history, winning a historic bronze medal by becoming the first pair to gun down a medal at the Olympics for India. Gender equality, equality in the effort, and one medal, this is new India, this is new shooting. What a win, what history for both, though, Manu has already become as famous as the Mona Lisa.

The theatre called the Summer Olympics is not for the faint-hearted. For all those who watched the action, live, or on TV, the pulse raced and the heartbeats jumped, manifold. No, not for this duo - Manu and Sarabjit - who showed a symphony of the Beethoven octave type.

Two Key Men Behind Olympic Glory of Manu & Sarabjot

It did not happen overnight, really. Hard work, struggle, sweat, toil. Well, all this even a casual labourer does at a construction site to earn bread. The hard work and mental resilience shown by Manu and Sarabjot, Haryana folks both, was built layer by layer. And, the masons who produced this edifice which owns the Olympic medal are coaches Jaspal Rana and Abhishek Rana.

Lest you think these two Ranas are relatives, no. Their relationship is only welding two champions - Manu and Sarabjot. Pressure, strategy, acumen, and of course, facing the Olympic hall, Jaspal and Abhishek slogged to bring the best out of the deadly Haryana duo. Mind you, both these coaches are private coaches, who got cleared at the last minute. Good luck, they were here to train the boy and girl. Their medal will be a first in history.

Both Jaspal and Abhishek are friends, yet handling each athlete is special. They don't follow any textbook-style stuff. Its practical lessons learnt as shooters led to idea transfer. To shoot is easy to teach shooting is not easy. Technique you can teach, winning mindset you cannot do so easily. These are two areas where the Ranas have jammed to produce a medal.

Coaches are not the main story, usually. No, they are here, in this medal story. Both Manu and Sarabjot worship their coaches. After all, they have made them into Olympic medallists which a billion plus in India now have fallen in love with.

Manu had worked with Jaspal before, then fell through. The reunion, 13 months ago was magic. And the journey was tough for both the shooter and the coach. Manu and Jaspal reached the foothills of the Himalayas. If Mount Everest be the peak, then the assault at the Chatoreaux ranges in France was no less. So what if it's not a gold medal, a bronze medal is big.

As for Abhishek Rana, he has been a junior shooter and runs his academy in Ambala. The Olympic mission was huge, he faced resistance as well. However, the common goal was in sight, mesh both Manu and Sarabjot. Perhaps, good friends as coaches from the Luxembourg training base to France, Jaspal and Abhishek ensured a medal would come.

Such efforts are big, they need to be praised. After all, heroes are usually the athletes. Those who have ensured the shooters will be composed and face the hard competition are to be saluted. What Jaspal and Abhishek have done for the nation is a true lesson of being master craftsmen.

It is not easy to teach this generation of athletes. They know everything, in fact. What needs to be done is not impose views but just add on a few things.

As for Manu and Sarabjot, they have trained before, in New Delhi at the ranges. From Jhajjar to Ambala runs this journey of champions, ending in Paris 2024. All those who watched the final saw the champions. Do clap for the coaches as well. Like make-up artists, they made Manu and Sarabjot look so beautiful with medals around their necks!

Hang on, Manu has one more event left, 25m sports pistol.