Jaspal Rana Dies: A very sad news has come out from the Indian sports world. The country’s great shooter, veteran shooting coach and Asian Games gold medalist Jaspal Rana has passed away at the age of 49. The news of his demise has sent a wave of mourning across the entire sports world. Jaspal Rana, who took Indian shooting to new heights, was not only a successful player but also a coach who gave many world-class shooters to the country.
It is being told that Jaspal Rana was returning with the Indian team from the ISSF World Cup recently held in Munich, Germany. His health had deteriorated during the journey. After reaching Delhi, he was immediately admitted to the hospital, where he was undergoing treatment. But despite all efforts he could not be saved. His demise has left the Indian sports community in deep shock.
Jaspal Rana was born on 28 June 1976 in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. At a very young age, he started showing his talent in shooting. At the age of just 12, he attracted the attention of the sports world by winning a medal at the national level. He made his mark by winning the silver medal in the National Shooting Competition held in 1988. After this he never looked back. In 1994, he made India proud on the international stage by making a world record in the junior category in the World Shooting Championship held in Milan, Italy.
Jaspal Rana is counted among India’s most successful shooters. He made the country proud by winning the gold medal in the 1994 Asian Games. After this, he also performed brilliantly in the 2006 Doha Asian Games and won three gold and one silver. Apart from this, he also won many silver and bronze medals in the Asian Games. His performance in the Asian Championship was also excellent and he won many important medals for India. His record in the Commonwealth Games was even better. He won a total of 15 medals in four Commonwealth Games between 1994 and 2006, which includes 9 gold medals. In the 2002 Commonwealth Games, he created history by winning four gold medals alone.
Jaspal Rana represented India in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Even though he could not win the Olympic medal, his performance and contribution played an important role in giving a new identity to Indian shooting. His career included dozens of medals in Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships and World Cup competitions. He made India proud on the international stage in his long career.
After an active sports life, Jaspal Rana took over the responsibility of coaching and started shaping the future of Indian shooting. Since 2012, he started training young shooters and has taken many talents to the international level. Many young players achieved success under his coaching, but the most talked about was his disciple Manu Bhakar. Jaspal Rana played an important role in giving a new direction to Manu Bhaker’s career.
In Paris Olympics 2024, Manu Bhakar created history by winning two bronze medals in 10 meter air pistol and 10 meter mixed team competition. She became the first female athlete from India to win two medals in the same Olympics. The hard work and guidance of Jaspal Rana is also considered important behind this achievement.
Seeing the achievements of Jaspal Rana, the Government of India had honored him with big honors at a very young age. He was awarded the Arjuna Award at the age of just 18. After this, at the age of only 21, he was awarded the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth highest civilian award. In the year 2020, he was also given the Dronacharya Award for his outstanding contribution in the field of coaching.
