Paris Olympics: Manu Bhaker Explains How Jaspal Rana's Training Method Helped Her Win Bronze Medal

Add as a preferred source on Google

Manu Bhaker clinched the bronze medal in the women's 10m air pistol event at the Paris Olympics 2024 with a score of 221.7. She demonstrated exceptional skill and composure, especially in her final shots, scoring a 10.1 and 10.3, which secured her place on the podium.

South Korean shooters Oh Ye Jin and Kim Ye-ji took the gold and silver medals with scores of 243.2 and 241.3, respectively. Manu's achievement marks a significant milestone, being India's first medal at these Olympics.

Bhaker's journey doesn't end here; she is set to compete in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event from July 28-30 and the women's 25m pistol from August 1-4.

Reflecting on her win, Bhaker expressed her elation and gratitude. She described the overwhelming feeling of standing on the podium with a medal around her neck. She emphasized her determination to continue giving her best in the remaining matches at the Olympics.

"Being here, standing with the medal around my neck, it feels surreal. The feeling is top of the world. Although the competition was very neck to neck, I missed by 0.1. Nonetheless, I'm really grateful that I could win this medal for all of us and for India. So yes, I am now focusing on the next events. As soon as this ends, I'll go to my events. I have many more matches to shoot," told Bhaker after securing the bronze medal.

Manu Bhaker's path to winning a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics was marked by significant challenges, including a fallout with her coach, Jaspal Rana. Under Rana's guidance from 2018 to 2021, Bhaker achieved notable success, including multiple ISSF World Cup medals and a Commonwealth Games championship. However, their relationship soured before the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, contributing to her disappointing performance there.

Struggling with her form and contemplating quitting the sport in May 2022, Bhaker reached out to Rana, and they reconciled. Their renewed partnership led to her regaining top form, culminating in a triumphant return at the Paris Olympics.

"I had figured out where he (Jaspal Rana) was sitting in the crowd, and I made sure I was just making eye contact with him and not anyone else. Looking at him gives me courage, and I am grateful that all those years of hard work we have put in together paid off with this and probably even more.

"We will not let this get the better of us, and we will keep trying hard in the future. I definitely owe a lot to him for making this happen. He made the training so difficult for me that this was not very difficult when it came to performing.

"So, yes, he played a huge role in this medal. It's sweat and blood from both of us and many more people, like the OGQ team, all the coaches of the national team, the federation, SAI, my parents, and my friends."

Bhaker discussed the unique and demanding training methods she follows with her coach, Jaspal Rana. She described how Rana's focus on technical aspects and setting high targets during training sessions pushed her to excel.

"My training methods with Jaspal sir is very difficult and focused on technical parts. It is very different from other coaches. For example, he asks me to set a target during training. Suppose I set a target of 582 and scored only 578, four points less then I'll have to donate 40 Euros (or any other currency depending on the country) to charity work. Sometimes, he increases the intensity, and it could be 400 euros as well."

Bhaker also shared insights into the mindset of athletes. "Being an athlete, you become used to it. It's not like, 'OK, I won this, and now you are on the top.' You can't be on the top all the time. You have to realize that as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will let you down. So, being an athlete, I think all athletes are used to it. One day, we have won; one day, we have lost. We just try our best."