Manu Bhaker Calls Coach Jaspal Rana Her Father-Figure, Says 'He Will Probably Slap Me...'

Manu Bhaker called her coach Jaspal Rana her father figure and later had to clarify a 'slap' sentence that she used when Rana intervened that it could lead to a controversy.

Paris Olympic broze medallist shooter Manu Bhaker with her coach Jaspal Rana (L), mother Sumedha Bhaker (2R) and father Ram Kishan Bhaker (R).

Source : PTI

It took even some of the greatest sportspersons from India at two Olympic Games to win their second individual medal at the Summer Games. However, for 22-year-old shooter Manu Bhaker, it was only a matter of a few days. For a long time, she even remained in contention for a hat-trick of medals in the single edition of the Olympic Games- the Paris Olympics 2024 only to narrowly miss out on the third medal, only after having already sealed her place as one of the finest Olympic athletes ever.

A major reason behind her resurgence in sports after the Tokyo heartbreak in which she did not even qualify for a single final and there was a case of equipment malnutrition has been her coach Jaspal Rana whom she considers her father figure. In a recent interview, Manu not only called Jaspal her father figure but said that he can even slap her tell her that she well do well as has trained hard for just that moment.

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Jaspal Rana Gives Me A Lot Of Courage Whenever I Doubt My Abilities: Manu Bhaker

Together, as the world has already seen, despite their contrasting personalities, Manu and Jaspal Rana are more than capable of winning Olympic medals.

"I would say he's (Jaspal Rana) like a father to me and it's a matter of trust that you put in a person," the double Olympic bronze medallist said at the PTI headquarters.

"He gives me a lot of courage whenever I feel, whether I can do it or not," she added as Rana kept his head down.

"He will probably slap me and he'll be like 'you can do it, you trained for it'." 

However, it was here that Rana intervened, cheekily saying that Bhaker had made a controversial statement.

"You have a controversy right here," he said.

"I mean it's not like a slap (literally) but like, I'm just using a slang. It's like he'll push my limits. He'll be like 'you've been training for this and obviously you will be able to deliver," the shooter who teamed up with Sarabjot Singh in the mixed team pistol event for the second of her two bronzes said.