# Manu Bhaker wears borrowed kit, misses late coach at Asian Games 2026-09-21T01:02:00+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker led the Indian contingent as flag-bearer at the Asian Games opening ceremony on Saturday, wearing a borrowed ceremonial kit after her official outfit did not fit. Her father Ramkishan Bhaker told Times of India that even the shoes provided were the wrong size: she wears a size 5 but got a 4 or 6. She borrowed a kit from a masseuse attached to the shooting contingent through a private sponsor. Bhaker also said she missed her late coach Jaspal Rana, who died on June 11 aged 49. Rana had guided her to two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics and had once told her she should attend opening ceremonies only as a flag-bearer. She recalled his words as she walked out at Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium. Bhaker will compete in the women's 10m air pistol, 25m pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team events from Monday. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both outlets report the same core story, but their leads diverge sharply. Sports.ndtv.com frames the opening ceremony through Manu Bhaker's tribute to her late coach Jaspal Rana, and her own athletic guard who had earlier told her that she would attend such ceremonies only if she was the flag-bearer, otherwise she should watch them on television, as the dual Olympic medallist walked out as one of India's flag-bearers at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium. Times of India leads with the wardrobe malfunction, detailing from family sources that the kit issued to her did not fit her properly and that she wore a borrowed ceremonial attire from a masseuse at the venue. The critical framing omits the emotional coach-backdrop entirely, while the sports site omits the kit issue. ## Coverage - sports.ndtv.com (neutral report) leads with emotional tribute to coach, omits kit-fitting problem entirely - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (government critical) leads with kit-size and shoe-size complaint from family, omits coach tribute Tags: Asian Games, Indian Olympic Association, Jaspal Rana, Manu Bhaker, National Rifle Association of India Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/manu-bhaker-wears-borrowed-kit-misses-late-coach-at-asian-games/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/manu-bhaker-wears-borrowed-kit-misses-late-coach-at-asian-games/#story-in-brief