Olympic
Shooting fraternity mourns untimely passing of legendary shooter and coach Jaspal Rana
Jaspal Rana had accompanied the national team as a coach during the just concluded ISSF World Cup in Munich. On his arrival in Delhi, he was admitted to a local hospital. He had undergone heart surgery and was recovering
12 Jun, 2026
By Navneet Singh
New Delhi: National pistol coach and Dronacharya awardee, Jaspal Rana, passed away on Friday (June 12) in Delhi following cardiac arrest. He was 49.
Jaspal Rana had accompanied the national team as a coach during the just concluded ISSF World Cup in Munich. On his arrival in Delhi, he was admitted to a local hospital. He had undergone heart surgery and was recovering.
The teenage pistol prodigy from Uttarakhand, first shot to fame when he clinched gold in the 25m Centre Fire Pistol event at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games in Japan. Later he also won the junior world title in the 25m Standard Pistol event in Milan.
During his shooting career spanning more than a decade, he won several medals at international level, including Commonwealth Games.
He also represented India at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. For his outstanding contribution to sport as an athlete he was also honoured with the Arjuna Award.
Later during his coaching assignment, when he was overseeing NRAI (National Rifle Association of India) junior development programme, Jaspal Rana was instrumental in mentoring pistol shooter Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker.
Jaspal Rana with his trainee Manu Bhaker. Pic courtesy: @rawatrahul9 on Twitter
At the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Jaspal Rana was Manu Bhaker’s personal coach. Manu went on to win individual bronze medal in women’s 10m air pistol and mixed team bronze in 10m air pistol.
The NRAI President, Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, expressed shock at the passing away of legendary Indian pistol shooter and coach Jaspal Rana. “The shooting fraternity is in a state of shock. It is a huge loss to our sport as he had so much more to give. Gone too soon,” the NRAI president said.
Pawankumar Singh, secretary general, NRAI, says there will never be another Jaspal Rana. “He was passionate about sport,” Pawankumar said.
Jaspal Rana had accompanied the national team during the just concluded ISSF World Cup in Munich. On his arrival to Delhi, he was admitted to a local hospital. He had undergone heart surgery and was recovering.
(The author is a renowned Olympic sports journalist, having covered sports extensively for three decades)
Tags : Jaspal Rana, Shooting, Manu Bhaker, Olympics, Asian Games
