Indian Shooting Coach Jaspal Rana Dies at 49

New Delhi: Jaspal Rana, the Asian Games gold medallist shooter who later guided Manu Bhaker to her historic double bronze-medal feat at the Paris Olympics as a coach, has died.He was 49.

According to National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, Rana breathed his last at a Delhi hospital on Thursday night.

Rana recently underwent a medical procedure after falling ill during the Indian contingent's return flight from the ISSF World Cup in Munich, Germany.

Upon landing in New Delhi, he was immediately hospitalised and underwent a medical procedure to have a stent fixed.

Rana was last serving as the high-performance coach for Indian pistol shooters.

After a decorated career as an elite shooter, Rana transformed Indian shooting through his roles as junior national team coach and high-performance trainer.

His coaching contributions include mentoring Manu and helping her secure a historic double bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

As a junior pistol coach since 2012, he has groomed teen sensations such as Saurabh Chaudhary, Anish Bhanwala, and Chinki Yadav.

His work with the junior programme has created a massive pipeline of international talent.

The NRAI had officially appointed him as the High-Performance coach for the 25m pistol discipline.

Rana is credited with instituting rigorous training routines that perfectly replicated the pressure of actual Olympic matches.

The NRAI appointed Rana as a high-performance coach for the 25m pistol discipline in February 2025.

For his immense contributions to the sport and the development of the next generation of shooters, the government conferred on him the prestigious Dronacharya Award in 2020.