Remembering Jaspal Rana: Indian shooting icon and CWG legend behind Manu Bhaker’s Olympic success

File Pic: Jaspal Rana with Manu Bhaker after a historic double bronze performance at the Paris Olympics. (PTI Photo) Indian shooting lost one of its best pistol shooters on Friday. Jaspal Rana, the Asian Games gold medalist and winner of multiple international events who later transformed Indian shooting as a coach, breathed his last at a Delhi hospital at the age of 49 after battling heart complications.

Which aspect of Jaspal Rana’s legacy do you find most inspiring?

Rana was one of India’s foremost shooters and coaches, a distinctive figure whose outspoken demeanor and passion for the sport shaped generations of young talent.It was in 1976 in the village of Chilamu in the Tehri Garhwal region of Uttarakhand that a prodigy was born who dedicated his life to shooting and became one of India’s best shooters on the international scene.Rana started shooting at the age of 10 and never looked back. He won his first national gold medal at just 12 before announcing himself to the world at the 1994 World Shooting Championships in Milan, where he returned with a junior gold medal and a world record score.READ ALSO: ‘His dedication will inspire generations’: Murmu President, Abhinav Bindra leads tributes to Jaspal RanaIn the same year, he won gold in the 25m center shot pistol at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, marking his international breakthrough. The Asian Games title was India’s first shooting gold in 16 years after Raja Randhir Singh opened the country’s account in 1978.The legend went through his shooting career, collecting medals and establishing himself as one of India’s most respected shooters. Over the years, Rana has added success at the Asian Games, Asian Championships and Commonwealth Games.Even today, he remains India’s most successful Commonwealth Games athlete, having won 15 medals, including nine golds, in four editions.Rana was honored with the Arjuna Award at the age of 18, followed by the Padma Shri three years later.The 2006 Doha Asian Games remains the highlight of his shooting career. Rana won three gold medals and a silver in a sensational campaign that included equaling the world record in the 25m center shot pistol event.After a distinguished career as an elite shooter, Rana continued to contribute to the sport. He moved into coaching and joined the national group in 2012, leading the junior pistol program and acting as an important cog in shaping the next generation of Indian shooters. A hard taskmaster, he was instrumental in introducing strict training routines that replicated the pressure of real Olympic competition.Like any experienced teacher, Rana earned recognition through the achievements of his protégés. He was instrumental in grooming talents like Saurabh Chaudhary, Anish Bhanwala and Chinki Yadav, creating a pipeline that would leave a lasting impact on Indian firing.Yet it was through Manu Bhaker that the nation saw the full extent of his coaching legacy. Under his guidance, Bhaker emerged as India’s standout performer at the 2024 Paris Olympics, returning with two bronze medals and becoming the first Indian athlete to win two medals in a single edition of the Games.For his contribution to the sport and the development of the next generation of shooters, Rana received the Dronacharya Award in 2020.Despite his successes as a coach, Rana remained deeply involved in the national set-up. In 2025, he was appointed as the High Performance Coach for the 25m Pistol event and continued to guide the next generation of Indian prodigies until his last days.