Major blow to Indian shooting, Dronacharya Award winner Jaspal Rana passes away at 49
New Delhi, June 12: India’s legendary shooting coach and former star shooter Jaspal Rana passed away late Thursday night at a private hospital in Saket, New Delhi. He was 49 years old. His death has sent shockwaves through the Indian sports world, especially the shooting community.
According to reports, his health deteriorated while returning with the Indian contingent from the recent ISSF World Cup in Munich, Germany. Following this, he underwent cardiac treatment, which included a stent insertion. At the time of his death, he was serving as the high-performance coach of India’s pistol shooting team.
Jaspal Rana was considered one of the most influential names in Indian shooting. As a coach, he nurtured numerous international-level athletes and took Indian shooting to new heights. Under his guidance, Manu Bhaker created history by winning two medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She became the first athlete from independent India to win two medals at the same Olympics.
Jaspal Rana also had a remarkable career as an athlete. He was one of India’s most successful athletes in the history of the Commonwealth Games. He won a total of 15 medals across four editions, including 9 gold, 4 silver, and 2 bronze.
After his competitive career, he made coaching his mission and brought many talented shooters, such as Manu Bhaker, Saurabh Chaudhary, Anish Bhanwala, and Chinki Yadav, to the international level.
In recognition of his contributions to Indian sports and athlete development, he was awarded the country’s prestigious Dronacharya Award in 2020.
Jaspal Rana’s passing is considered a loss to Indian shooting that will be irreparable for a long time.
