As India's ace shooter Manu Bhaker basks in glory, courtesy of her bronze medal accomplishment in the Paris Olympics 10m Air Pistol final, her coach Jaspal Rana is struggling to make ends meet. Manu and Jaspal had an infamous fallout after the shooter's failure to win a medal in the Tokyo Games, due to a pistol malfunction, but the duo returned together to make amends in Paris. As Manu aims to add to India's tally, Rana is keen to find a full-time job for him that earns him a monthly salary, which hasn't been the case for the last three years.
In a chat with RevSportz, Rana got emotional as he recalled the abuse he received after Manu’s shock exit from the Tokyo Games.
"All those who abused me, made me a villain after Tokyo, when I was not even present there are now wanting interviews from me. No problem, I did interviews, but are these people going to make up my losses in life at large," he said.
While Rana is delighted to see Manu finally getting her hands on an Olympic medal, he also revealed that neither the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) nor another sporting body in the country has paid him any salary over the last three years. For now, the primary focus for Rana remains finding a job.
"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 am more than happy Manu has shown what she can do, I only tapped into her potential. I need to go back to India and start afresh. I need to find a job to earn money," said Jaspal, brutally honest.
"When I got this Olympics accreditation card from the IOA, thanks to PT Usha Madam and Captain Ajay Narang, I was happy. I am thankful to them. But I know what all the hurdles I faced even after that," revealed Jaspal.
Speaking of his work with Manu, Rana revealed that he doesn't believe in imposing his views on the shooter. With Manu, Rana only worked on making a few minor tweaks.
"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.
During the chat, Rana got emotional as he said that while Manu is a star, he is 'nobody', a person who is 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," he asserted.
"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," Jaspal said while choking during the conversation.
"I don't know what is in store in my life, I will wait till I return to India. Till Manu finishes her last two matches, I will be around. I need a job, to be unemployed for three years hurts," he reiterated.