By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: Jaspal Rana, one of India’s most accomplished pistol shooters and the coach who guided Manu Bhaker to two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics, died on Friday after suffering cardiac complications. He was 49.
According to sources, Rana was admitted to Max Hospital in New Delhi, on June 1 after experiencing chest pain and was diagnosed with arterial blockages. He died in the early hours of Friday.
The death comes months after Rana was appointed as the high-performance coach for India’s 25m pistol shooters. He had reportedly fallen ill while returning with the Indian contingent from the ISSF World Cup in Munich and underwent a procedure to clear a cardiac blockage after landing in New Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over Rana’s death, describing it as a significant loss to Indian sport.
“Deeply saddened by the passing of Shri Jaspal Rana Ji. His passing is a profound loss to the world of Indian sports,” Modi said in a social media post.
Rana is survived by his wife Reena Rana, daughter Devanshi, son Yuvraj, father Narayan Singh Rana, and siblings Sushma Singh and Subhash Rana.
A prodigious talent, Rana won his first national-level gold medal at the age of 12. He rose to prominence with gold-medal performances in the 25m pistol event at the 1994 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
One of the defining moments of his competitive career came at the 2006 Asian Games, where he won three gold medals and a silver while equalling the then world record.
After retiring from competitive shooting, Rana moved into coaching and played a key role in developing a generation of Indian pistol shooters. His most notable success came as mentor to Manu Bhaker, who became the first Indian athlete to win two medals at a single Olympics after securing twin bronze medals at the Paris Olympics.
He also coached several leading shooters, including Saurabh Chaudhary, Anish Bhanwala and Chinki Yadav.
Rana received the Arjuna Award in 1994, the Padma Shri in 1997 and the Dronacharya Award in 2020. He remains India’s most successful Commonwealth Games athlete, having won 15 medals, including nine golds, across four editions of the Games.