Manu Bhaker was one of two flagbearers for India at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Asian Games, along with kabaddi star Pawan Sehrawat. The 24-year-old said that she missed her late coach Jaspal Rana on the occassion, with these Games being pretty much her first big multisport event since his death.

“Missed Jaspal sir a lot today. It was indeed an emotional day without his presence by my side,” Bhaker said after the ceremony in Nagoya, according to PTI.

Rana died in June this year after a brief illness aged 49. He had reportedly undergone a heart procedure at a Delhi hospital a week before that after he had returned from the shooting World Cup in Munich. He played a pivotal role in shaping a new generation of Indian shooters. Most notably, he coached Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and was widely credited with helping revive her career ahead of the Paris Olympics, where she won two bronze medals.

Story continues below.
Subscribe to see fewer ads.

Manu is the first Indian to have won two medals at a single edition of the Olympics. At the Asian Games this year, she will be looking to add to the team gold that she won at Hangzhou 2022. She had missed out on the individual medal and will be looking to make amends there as well. Manu was part of the women’s 25m pistol team that won gold in Hangzhou in 2022, along with Rhythm Sangwan and Esha Singh.

The buildup to the 2026 Asian Games was beset with logistical issues but Manu urged Indian athletes to look forward now that the event is starting before she went out for the opening ceremony. “To all my fellow athletes from India, we will have some issues. I saw couple of issues circulated in social media and people telling me these are the issues. Regardless of whatever the issues we have, this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and experience. We have to make sure that we enjoy the time rather than complaining,” Bhaker said in a video message posted by Indian Olympic Association (IOA)