Manu Bhaker choked up recalling Jaspal Rana after finishing fifth in Aichi-Nagoya

Manu Bhaker struggled to hold back tears after finishing fifth in the women's 10m air pistol final at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Wednesday, becoming emotional when asked about her former coach Jaspal Rana.

It was Bhaker's first multi-sport event since Rana died of cardiac issues in June, aged 49, and she said his absence was keenly felt as she returned to the Games. Rana had played a key role in her development and guided her to two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics in 2024. He was also one of India's most successful shooters at the Asian Games, winning eight medals, including four gold, across three editions.

Bhaker struggled to speak while recalling the lessons Rana had passed on. "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," she said.

She described Rana's emphasis on routine and preparation. "He was just so adamant on process always -- that you have to be able to, any given day, any given point in your life, whenever you shoot, you have to be able to give your best performance and follow your process," Bhaker said, and an 8.9 on her eighth shot in Wednesday's final left her out of contention for a medal. "As much as anyone wants to deny it, yes, it definitely compromised the chances a lot," she added.

Bhaker said her preparations in Japan had not gone smoothly. "I had some issues like yesterday the PT (pre-training) was not good at all - lots of struggle, lots of things and I was not able to see the sighters properly," she said, adding that she prioritised sticking to her routine through qualification and the final. "My process was the number one thing and I was able to do that in qualification and also in the finals. Most of the shots I was able to do exactly how I had planned, like how my process is. However, a few shots were not so good," she said.

She spoke about how she had looked forward to competing in Japan with Rana by her side and recalled one piece of advice that went beyond shooting. "Of course, he was like the Asian champion, he was like the best of the best. When I came to the Asian Games (in 2018 Jakarta), I think he was like the undisputed champion and yes I was really looking forward to Japan actually and the circumstances were," Bhaker said before pausing to compose herself. "Life is very unpredictable and live it to the fullest, be kind and everything," she added.

Bhaker said her final in Aichi-Nagoya was slightly better than simulated finals in Bhopal and expressed belief in further improvement. "If you compare the performance from there to here, the performance here is slightly better," she said. "I'm positive that in future I can do even better and can keep improving." She also acknowledged the support around her, singling out Serbian coach Jelena Arunovic: "You just see me, but so many people work so hard so that we are able to perform," and "Coach Jelena... she has been so hardworking with everything and patient," she said.

Bhaker left the Asian Games without an individual medal in the women's 10m air pistol and remained forward-looking about her career. "I'm very grateful and I really hope I can do better," she said.