New Delhi, June 12: Jaspal Rana, one of India’s finest pistol shooters who made a hugely successful transition to coaching and guided Manu Bhaker to epoch-making twin bronze medals at the Paris Olympics, has shockingly died at a mere 49 years of age after battling cardiac complications.
Rana is survived by his wife, Reena Rana, daughter Devanshi, son Yuvraj, father Narayan Singh Rana, and his two siblings, Sushma Singh and Subhash Rana.
National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo said Rana breathed his last at Delhi’s Max Super Speciality Hospital on Thursday night.
Dr Balbir Singh, Group Chairman (Cardiac Sciences, Pan Max & Chief of Interventional Cardiology and Electrophysiology) at Max, said Rana was brought to the hospital in a critical condition on June 1.
“Mr. Jaspal Rana presented with an acute heart attack that was already three days old. He had been travelling and continued to experience chest pain before arriving at the hospital in a very critical condition,” Singh said.
“The artery responsible for the heart attack was completely blocked. His heart’s pumping function was severely weakened, and he was in heart failure,” he added.
The hospital said Rana responded well to treatment and had shown significant recovery before the sudden deterioration.
Rana’s untimely death has left the shooting fraternity in a state of shock. His last rites would be conducted in Varanasi on Saturday.
His stunning death has created a massive void in India’s coaching leadership staff as the shooters gear up for the Asian Games later this year and the NRAI would have to thrash out a fresh plan to ensure that the preparations remain on track.
Rana was serving as the high-performance coach for Indian pistol shooters.
He had initially fallen ill aboard the Indian contingent’s return flight from the ISSF World Cup in Munich, Germany. After landing in New Delhi, he was immediately hospitalised and had a stent installed to clear a cardiac blockage.
The pistol ace, who was considered a maverick in Indian shooting circles for his outspoken demeanour and passion for the sport, was a prodigal talent and won his first national level gold at just 12 years of age.
His international breakthrough were the 25m centre fire pistol gold medals at the 1994 Commonwealth and Asian Games.
In fact, the Asiad gold was India’s first in 16 years after Raja Randhir Singh opened the account in 1978. Randhir had passed away recently after battling age-related ailments.
Rana’s biggest moment as a shooter came in the 2006 Doha Asian Games when he snared three gold medals and a silver in a sensational performance that included equalling the world record of the time.
After a decorated career as an elite shooter, Rana transformed Indian shooting through his roles as a junior national team coach and high-performance trainer.
His most significant coaching contribution was mentoring Manu Bhaker and helping her secure two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, making her the first Indian to achieve such a feat.
As a junior pistol coach since 2012, he also groomed teen sensations such as Saurabh Chaudhary, Anish Bhanwala, and Chinki Yadav.
His work with the junior programme created a massive pipeline of international talent, creating a lasting impact on the sport.
The NRAI had officially appointed him as the High-Performance coach for the 25m pistol discipline in February last year.
A tough task-master, Rana is credited with instituting rigorous training routines that perfectly replicated the pressure of actual Olympic matches.
For his immense contribution to the sport and the development of the next generation of shooters, the government conferred on him the prestigious Dronacharya Award in 2020. This was more than two decades after he became a recipient of the Arjuna award in 1994 and the country’s fourth highest civilian honour – the Padma Shri – in 1997.
He also remains India’s most successful Commonwealth Games athlete with 15 medals (including nine golds) across four editions. (PTI)
PM, Bindra pay tribute to Rana
New Delhi, June 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the sporting world in mourning the untimely demise of renowned Indian shooter and coach Jaspal Rana. “Deeply saddened by the passing of Shri Jaspal Rana Ji. His passing is a profound loss to the world of Indian sports,” PM Modi wrote on X.
Olympic champion shooter Abhinav Bindra said he was heartbroken by Rana’s passing, recalling their association as teammates and his contribution to Indian shooting.
Olympics bronze medallist rifle shooter and coach Gagan Narang penned a heartfelt tribute in memory of Rana, saying shooters from their generation started dreaming of making a name in the sport because of him. (PTI)
