Indian Shooting Legend and Coach Jaspal Rana Dies at 49
Jaspal Rana, Asian Games gold medallist and the coach who guided Manu Bhaker to her Paris Olympics double bronze, died at a Delhi hospital on Thursday night (June 11). He was 49.
Jaspal Rana, Asian Games gold medallist and the coach who guided Manu Bhaker to her Paris Olympics double bronze, died at a Delhi hospital on Thursday night (June 11). He was 49.
Jaspal Rana, High-Performance Coach for India's pistol shooters, suffered a cardiac emergency returning from the ISSF World Cup in Munich and died in Max Hospital, Saket, Delhi.
Rana felt chest pain during the ISSF World Cup in Munich but mistook it for acidity. The discomfort returned on his flight home, and he was rushed to Max Hospital in Delhi upon landing.
After a bitter public split before Tokyo 2021, Bhaker called Rana in June 2023 to restart their partnership. Just over a year later, she became the first Indian to win two medals at a single Olympics.
Rana won 15 medals including 9 gold across four Commonwealth Games. He claimed 4 Asian Games golds, won the Arjuna Award, Padma Shri, and the Dronacharya Award for coaching.
Rana won the 1994 Junior World Championship in Milan despite being scheduled for surgery the next day. At Doha 2006, he claimed three Asian Games golds while running a high fever.
As junior national coach from 2012, Rana groomed Manu Bhaker, Saurabh Chaudhary, and Anish Bhanwala. He was awarded the Dronacharya Award in 2020 — India's highest coaching honour.
Born in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, on June 28, 1976, Rana is survived by his wife, two children, and father. His siblings are accomplished shooters too, carrying forward a remarkable family legacy.