Legendary Indian shooter Jaspal Rana has passed away at the age of 49. He had been admitted to Max Hospital, Saket, in Delhi, where he breathed his last on Friday morning. National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Kalikesh Narayan confirmed the demise of the legend.
Jaspal had fallen ill on a flight while returning from Munich on the night of 1 June and received medical attention at the time. After returning to India, he was admitted to Max Hospital, Saket, where a stent was inserted in his heart following medical tests.
Credits: X
Jaspal Rana was the coach of Manu Bhaker, the shooter who won two medals at the Paris Olympics. Beyond his own illustrious career as an athlete, Rana also achieved great success as a junior team coach and high-performance trainer. He had been serving as India’s high-performance coach for the 25m pistol event since February 2025.
Manu Bhaker left competition midway after hearing about her coach’s demise
Upon hearing the news of her coach’s passing away, the pistol slipped from Manu Bhaker’s hand while she was participating in a shooting competition. For a few moments, Manu stood still in one place.
After this, she became emotional and sat down on the ground. She also left the shooting competition midway. Manu has gone to Dehradun to participate in the national training camp, where she was competing in the 25-metre air pistol.
Manu Bhaker with her coach Jaspal Rana, during a competition.
Family members say that Manu was busy with the competition, which is why this news had to be kept from her for several hours. Around 10 AM, she was informed about her coach’s demise, after which Manu stopped her match midway. It’s worth noting that Manu Bhaker has postponed all her programs and sports events. She will go directly from Dehradun to bid her coach a final farewell.
Mortal remains of Jaspal Rana arrive at his residence
On Friday, around 12:30 PM, Jaspal Rana’s mortal remains were brought to his Sainik Farm residence.
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PM Modi mourns the loss of the shooting legend
Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the passing away of late Jaspal Rana as he wrote a condolence message on his X (formerly Twitter) page.
Credits: Narendra Modi/X
In addition to PM Modi, India’s Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh also paid his condolences for the legendary shooting coach’s death, penning a message in Hindi on his X account.
Credits: Rajnath Singh/X
Experienced chest pain during the shooting World Cup
Subhash Rana, brother of late Jaspal Rana, told the media, “He (Jaspal) experienced chest pain and discomfort during the ISSF World Cup in Munich, which he initially mistook for acidity, and continued with his travel plans. However, the discomfort returned during the journey back to India, prompting immediate medical attention upon his arrival in Delhi.”
Manu Bhaker won two bronze medals in the Paris Olympics under the guidance of coach Jaspal Rana (Credits: Jaspal Rana/Instagram)
Guided Manu Bhaker to double medal glory in Paris Olympics
Jaspal Rana was the coach of shooter Manu Bhaker, who won two medals at the Paris Olympics. Following a brilliant career as an athlete, Rana has also had an accomplished career as a junior team coach and high-performance trainer. He has been serving as India’s high-performance coach for the 25m pistol event since February 2025.
As a competitor, Jaspal Rana won eight medals at the Asian Games, comprising four gold, two silver, and two bronze. He won 15 medals at the Commonwealth Games, including nine gold, four silver, and two bronze.
One of the most successful Indian athletes in Commonwealth Games’ history
Jaspal Rana was one of the most successful Indian athletes in the history of the Commonwealth Games, dominating across four editions (1994, 1998, 2002, and 2006). His most famous performance for India came at the 2006 Doha Asian Games, where he won three gold medals and equalled the world record in the 25m Centre Fire Pistol.
Jaspal also won a gold medal at the 1994 Milan World Championship in the junior category with a world-record score, announcing his arrival on the global stage at just 18 years old.
Credits: X
‘Stalwart of Indian Sports’: Gautam Gambhir also pays tribute
Former cricketer and Indian men’s cricket team coach Gautam Gambhir also mourned the loss of Jaspal Rana on his social media (X) page. He wrote, “Shri Jaspal Rana was a stalwart of Indian Sports. His passing has a left a huge void. Om Shanti.”
‘Heartbroken’: Olympic legend Abhinav Bindra on Jaspal Rana’s passing
Abhinav Bindra, who won India’s first gold medal in shooting in the 2008 Olympics, has expressed grief over the demise of Jaspal Rana. He wrote on social platform X, ‘Jaspal was my teammate, and in many ways, part of a generation that helped shape Indian shooting.’
Credits: X
‘His contribution to Indian sport was extraordinary’: Mallikarjun Kharge
Congress chief and Rajya Sabha LoP also mourned the passing of Jaspal Rana as he expressed grief on his X page, calling Manu Bhaker’s coach ‘a towering figure in Indian sport and one of our greatest shooting champions.’
Jaspal’s father was an ITBP personnel who inspired and coached him
Jaspal Rana drew his inspiration for shooting from his father, Narayan Singh Rana, who served in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). His father introduced him to the pistol and rifle at the age of just ten. Like many other shooters, Jaspal initially practised with both weapons, but the federation later implemented a rule requiring a shooter to choose only one discipline. Consequently, he selected pistol shooting as his primary event.
Having started shooting at the age of ten, Jaspal began competing at state and national levels by the time he was 11 or 12. In 1988, at just 12 years old, he participated in the 31st National Shooting Championship held in Ahmedabad and won a silver medal. This marked the beginning of his journey into senior-level competitions.
Jaspal Rana with gold medal in his early years (Credits: X)
Clinched gold medal in World Shooting Championship despite extreme pain
Jaspal Rana won numerous medals throughout his career, but his victory at the 1994 World Shooting Championship in Milan is considered the most memorable. The day before the competition, he developed an abscess on his knee and was hospitalised. Doctors advised surgery and refused to discharge him. However, Jaspal and his coach, Sunny Thomas, decided that he would leave the hospital to participate in the event.
After leaving the hospital, the abscess burst that very night, intensifying his pain. His condition was such that he could not even take off his jeans. He eventually tore the jeans to turn them into shorts and competed in them the next morning. Despite the pain, he won his first international gold medal in the junior category with a world-record score. That same year, he also clinched a gold medal at the Hiroshima Asian Games and was honoured with the Arjuna Award at the age of just 18.
