New Delhi: Manu Bhaker had a bitter fallout with coach Jaspal Rana just before the Tokyo Olympics.
They had their differences, and Jaspal, himself a shooter of great repute, was unfairly blamed after Manu’s pistol malfunctioned during the final and she returned empty-handed from her maiden Olympics!
It hurt Jaspal no end.
Manu was heartbroken too, and even contemplated giving up shooting to go for higher studies.
The two of them were not on speaking terms for a couple of years.
Thankfully, better sense prevailed and Manu picked up the phone to speak to her ‘Jaspal Sir’ last year.
Jaspal was back with Manu, and the first thing he did was to remove the cobwebs from her mind, and make her believe she was destined for bigger things.
The two travelled to Europe after the national camp in Bhopal, with Manu skipping the Munich World Cup.
Jaspal decided Manu should train in Luxembourg, just before they travelled to France, in conditions that were very similar to the Olympic shooting range in Chateauroux, about 270 km from Paris.
“He made training so difficult for me that when it came to performing, it wasn’t very difficult for me. He played a huge role in the medals. All those years of hard work that we have put in together paid off with his, and probably even more,” was Manu’s way of thanking her guru.
Manu revealed a novel practice Jaspal follows in training.
If she doesn’t achieve a particular target set for her by the coach during every shooting session, a fine equivalent to the deficit in points has to be paid, in the currency of the country they’re based at.
“For example if the target is 582 and you score 578, it means you give 40 euros, depending on the situation. You either donate that amount or purchase things and distribute it to people. At almost every training session, this is the rule. And at times, he increases the intensity quite a lot, to like 400 euros,” Manu told mediapersons.
The maximum she has had to shell out is so big, she wouldn’t want to share, Manu joked.
“Usually our training patters are very difficult, be it on the technical part or things like this. His working method is very different from the others,” Manu said, glad to re-follow his methods which had brought her success earlier.
Jaspal, an emotional man, is in France as Manu’s personal trainer and mentor, sponsored by the shooter and not by the government.
“I can’t even begin to explain the kind of things we’ve been through. But sometimes those setbacks help you push to greater things. She is the one person who I know can push her limits. She sometimes follows routines better than me, and I used to think I’m good at that.”
The humble Jaspal refused to take credit for the two medals.
“This medal is for the country, I did nothing,” Jaspal said on Tuesday.
He, however, told RevSportz that he needs a regular salaried job.
“I am in urgent need for a stable job upon return to India after the Paris Olympics… I haven’t had a job for three years,” he said.
