New Delhi, June 12, 2026: The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) President, Shri. Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, has expressed shock at the passing away of legendary Indian pistol shooter and coach Jaspal Rana, following a cardiac arrest, here at a city hospital. The Olympian and Arjuna and Dronacharya awardee, was weeks short of his 50th birthday.
Leading the Shooting fraternity in mourning Jaspal Rana’s tragic sudden demise, Shri. Singh Deo said, “The whole Shooting fraternity is in a state of shock and we are still not able to process it as we were hearing that he was recovering after undergoing surgery. Jaspal Rana, through his performances and dynamic personality, single-handedly brought the sport of Shooting into popular imagination in India. As a coach, he brought glory to the nation at the highest level, churning out champions after champions. It is a huge loss to our sport as he had so much more to give. Gone too soon.”
Jaspal Rana, hailing from Uttarakhand, first shot to the limelight as an 18-year-old when he struck gold in the 25m Centre Fire Pistol event at the Hiroshima 1994 Asian Games. That year, he also became a junior world champion in the 25m Standard Pistol event in Milan.
His Shooting career brought him four gold medals at the Asian Games and nine golds at the Commonwealth Games. He also participated in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
As a coach, besides coaching and mentoring Manu Bhaker to an unprecedented double bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, he also guided top shooters like Saurabh Chaudhary, Chinki Yadav and others to national and international glory.
As the incumbent high performance pistol coach of the NRAI, he played a key role in some world-class results delivered by India’s pistol shooters in recent times.
Sharing his thoughts Shri. Pawankumar Singh, Secretary General, NRAI, said, “There will never be another Jaspal Rana. His love and passion for the sport and for the flag was contagious. We are all at a loss for words. The NRAI stands firmly with his family at this time of grief. May God give them strength to overcome these difficult times. It is a very sad day for Indian Shooting.”