Jaspal Rana, one of India’s most decorated shooters and a coach credited with training a generation of pistol shooting talent, died on Thursday at the age of 49. The former Asian Games champion and Dronacharya awardee was serving as India’s high-performance pistol coach at the time of his death.
According to a report by PTI, Rana fell ill while returning with the Indian contingent from the ISSF World Cup in Munich, Germany. After landing in Delhi, he was admitted to a hospital and underwent a medical procedure to insert a stent. National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo confirmed that he passed away at a Delhi hospital. Rana is survived by his wife and two children.
‘A profound loss to the world of Indian sports,’ says PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Rana, describing his death as a major setback for Indian sport.
“Deeply saddened by the passing of Shri Jaspal Rana Ji. His passing is a profound loss to the world of Indian sports,” PM Modi stated in a post on X.
The Prime Minister said Rana brought “immense glory to the nation” through his achievements in the field of shooting. He later also earned admiration for mentoring athletes. He also hailed the former shooter’s dedication to excellence and service to Indian sport.
From Hiroshima gold to a career filled with records
Born in Uttarkashi in present-day Uttarakhand, Rana emerged as one of India’s brightest shooting talents in the 1990s. According to Indian Express report, his breakthrough came in 1994 when he bagged gold at the Asian Games in Hiroshima and set a junior world record at the World Shooting Championship in Milan.
He had represented India at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and became a dominant force in pistol shooting over the next decade. One of the outstanding moments of his career was registered when he won three gold medals and a silver while equalling the world record in the 25m Centre Fire Pistol event with a score of 590.
Rana remains India’s most successful Commonwealth Games athlete as he won 15 medals, including nine golds, across four editions between 1994 and 2006.
His achievements earned him the prestigious Arjuna Award in 1994 and the Padma Shri in 1997. He was also later honoured with the Dronacharya Award in 2022 for his contribution to coaching.
The mentor behind India’s shooting star Manu Bhaker
After retiring from competitive shooting, Rana moved into coaching and became one of the most influential person in India’s pistol programme.
He joined national coaching setup in 2012 and played significant role in developing shooters like Manu Bhaker, Anish Bhanwala, Chini Yadav and Saurabh Chaudhary, as reported by PTI. His work helped in creating a strong pipeline of young talent for the national team.
Rana was widely credited for helping Manu Bhaker rebuild her confidence and form ahead of the Paris Olympics, where she made history by winning two bronze medals.
As reported by PTI his coaching philosophy focussed on recreating competition-like pressure during training sessions to better prepare athletes for the major events. The NRAI appointed him as high-performance coach for the 25m pistol discipline in February 2025.
With achievements spanning three decades as an athlete, mentor and a coach, Ran leaves behind a legacy that influenced multiple generations of Indian shooters and helped shape India’s position in global pistol shooting.