NEW DELHI: Former India shooter and renowned coach Jaspal Rana passed away in New Delhi on Friday after suffering a medical emergency following his return from the ISSF World Cup in Munich. He was 49. Reports said Rana had fallen ill during his journey back to India and later underwent a medical procedure in Delhi before breathing his last.
Rana’s death marks a major loss for Indian shooting, a sport in which he made an extraordinary impact both as a champion athlete and as a mentor to a new generation of shooters.
One of India’s most decorated shooters, Rana built a remarkable career spanning more than three decades. He remains India’s most successful athlete at the Commonwealth Games, winning an extraordinary 15 medals — nine gold, four silver and two bronze — across the 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006 editions of the Games.
His success extended to the Asian Games, where he won four gold medals and one silver medal. His achievements included a gold medal at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games and a historic haul of three gold medals at the 2006 Doha Asian Games.
At the 1994 World Shooting Championships in Milan, Rana won gold while setting a record score. He later equalled the world record in the 25m Centre Fire Pistol event with an aggregate score of 590 during the 2006 Asian Games.
Known for his resilience and determination, Rana famously captured three gold medals at the Doha Asian Games despite competing with a high fever, an achievement that remains among the most celebrated moments in Indian shooting history. Another notable chapter of his career saw him overcome severe pain to compete and win gold with a world-record performance at a World Championship event.
Following his retirement from competitive shooting, Rana devoted himself to coaching and talent development. As a junior national coach, he identified and nurtured several future stars, including Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary.
Despite a widely publicised fallout with Bhaker before the Tokyo Olympics, the two later reunited. Rana subsequently played a key role in her resurgence and successful Olympic campaign, which culminated in two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
At the time of his death, Rana was serving as India’s high-performance coach for pistol events. Widely respected for his technical expertise, discipline and ability to mentor young athletes, he helped transform shooting into one of India’s strongest Olympic sports.
Tributes poured in from across the sporting fraternity and political leadership, with leaders remembering Rana as an exceptional athlete, dedicated coach and inspiring personality whose contributions to Indian sport will be remembered for generations.
