New Delhi: Ace shooter, Asian Games gold medalist and Indian shooting coach Jaspal Rana passed away on Thursday night at a Delhi hospital. He was 49.
National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo confirmed the news to PTI.
This comes as a major shock as he recently underwent a medical procedure after falling ill during the Indian contingent’s return flight from the ISSF World Cup in Munich, Germany. He was rushed to hospital immediately upon landing in Delhi last week.
Rana, who served as the high-performance coach for Indian pistol shooters, is known for transforming Indian shooting through his roles as a junior national team coach and high-performance trainer. He also mentored Manu Bhaker, helping her secure a historic double bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics, as reported by Hindustan Times.
He also groomed teen players such as Saurabh Chaudhary, Anish Bhanwala, and Chinki Yadav. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) had officially appointed him as the High-Performance coach for the 25m pistol discipline in February 2025.
He was conferred with the Dronacharya Award in 2020 for his immense contributions to the sport.
Born in 1976, Rana shot to fame after winning gold in the 25m Centre Fire Pistol event at the 1994 Asian Games. He then went on to become India’s most decorated shooter, winning medals left, right and centre at the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and other international competitions.
He remains India’s most successful Commonwealth Games athlete, having won 15 medals in total, including 9 golds. His golden run at the start of his career also enabled him to receive the Arjuna Award at the age of 18, and just three years later, he was conferred the Padma Shri.
