Jaspal Rana, the coach behind Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker, has been navigating a tough path despite his ward's success in Paris. On Tuesday, Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh clinched bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team shooting event against South Korea on Day 4 of the Paris Olympics 2024. Bhaker became the first athlete in history of independent India to win two medals in a single Olympics edition. As Manu Bhaker celebrates her feat, Rana, finds himself in a dire situation, having gone without a salary for three years.
In a conversation with RevSportz, Rana said he was in "urgent need for a stable job upon his return to India after the Paris Olympics".
Following the disappointment of the Tokyo Games, where Manu Bhaker’s medal hopes were dashed due to a pistol malfunction, Rana faced intense criticism and was unfairly blamed. Despite not being present during the Tokyo debacle, he bore the brunt of the backlash. “All those who abused me, made me a villain after Tokyo, now want interviews from me,” he said.
While he takes immense pride in Manu’s achievements, Rana’s focus has shifted to securing a job that provides financial stability. “I am nobody. I just did a job Manu wanted me to help her out with. But are people aware I have had no monthly salary from the National Rifle Association of India or any other agency over the last three years? I need to go back to India and start afresh. I need to find a job to earn money,” he said.
Grateful for the Olympic accreditation from the Indian Olympic Association, courtesy of PT Usha and Captain Ajay Narang, Rana acknowledges the numerous hurdles he faced even with this support. “The way I work, I don't impose my views on the shooter. These days, kids are smart, they know what to do. I only tried to tweak a few things and it's my commitment to Manu Bhaker that I will guide her in this Olympic campaign. There are two more matches,” he explained.
Rana sees Manu as the star while viewing himself as a ‘nobody’, struggling to make ends meet. “Manu is the star, I am just a jobless coach. I am nobody. Manu made me relevant by asking me to help her. I need to find a job soon, these three years have been very tough for me. I never wanted to talk about this. Anyone going to get me a job, I have to ask around when I get back to India.”
“I never did anything wrong, I was not even in Tokyo. Can people who abused me and trolled me get me back my peace? No, never,” he said.
With two more matches left for Manu in the Olympics, Rana remains by her side, committed to her success.