In a huge shock for Indian sports, legendary shooter and coach Jaspal Rana has passed away at 49 from a heart attack. He was the mentor to star shooter Manu Bhaker. Rana felt unwell while returning from Munich and was hospitalised, but he could not be saved. He was the force behind many young Indian shooters winning medals.
New Delhi: Jaspal Rana, a giant of Indian shooting and the coach of star shooter Manu Bhaker, has passed away today at the age of 49. Reports confirm that he died due to a heart attack.
Rana, who was serving as the high-performance coach for India’s pistol shooters, reportedly felt unwell while returning to India from the ISSF World Cup in Munich. As soon as he landed in New Delhi, he was rushed to Max Hospital in Saket. He underwent treatment there.
During treatment, doctors found that Rana had suffered a mild heart attack and they placed a stent. They had planned another surgery to insert a second stent in the coming days. Initial reports suggested his health was stable and he was recovering. However, he passed away suddenly today.
The Guru Behind Manu Bhaker
In recent years, Jaspal Rana gained a lot of attention as Manu Bhaker’s coach. Under his guidance, Manu Bhaker created history by winning bronze medals in both the 10-meter air pistol and 10-meter mixed pistol events. This made her the first Indian athlete since independence to win two medals in a single Olympics.
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Besides Bhaker, Rana worked closely with several other top pistol shooters like Saurabh Chaudhary, Anish Bhanwala, and Chinki Yadav. His time with the junior program saw India’s young shooters win a truckload of medals in international competitions.
Jaspal Rana: A Legend in His Own Right
Before he became a legendary coach, Jaspal Rana was one of the best pistol shooters India has ever produced. Born on June 28, 1976, in Uttarakhand, Rana burst onto the international scene in 1994. At the World Shooting Championship in Milan, he won gold in the junior section with a world record score. The same year, he also won a gold medal in the 25-meter center-fire pistol event at the Asian Games. For over a decade, Rana was a top name in Indian shooting.
Rana became one of India’s most successful shooters, winning medals at the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Championships. He remains India’s most successful Commonwealth Games shooter with 15 medals, including nine golds. His most memorable performance came at the 2006 Doha Asian Games, where he won three gold medals and equalled the world record in the 25-meter center-fire pistol event. Rana received the Arjuna Award at the young age of 18 and was awarded the Padma Shri three years later.