New Delhi, June 12, 2026 — The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) and the wider Indian shooting community are mourning the passing of legendary Indian pistol shooter and high-performance coach Jaspal Rana, who passed away at a New Delhi hospital following a cardiac arrest, just weeks short of his 50th birthday.
Tributes from NRAI Leadership
“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.” — Shri Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, President, NRAI
“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.” — Shri Pawankumar Singh, Secretary General, NRAI
Trailblazing Career and Coaching Legacy
Hailing from Uttarakhand, Jaspal Rana burst onto the international stage as an 18-year-old by winning gold in the 25m Centre Fire Pistol at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games and capturing the junior world title in 25m Standard Pistol in Milan the same year.
- Honours: Arjuna Awardee, Dronacharya Awardee, and 1996 Atlanta Olympian
- Multi-Sport Haul: Four Asian Games gold medals and nine Commonwealth Games gold medals (15 CWG medals overall)
- Coaching Impact: Served as NRAI High Performance Pistol Coach, mentoring athletes including Manu Bhaker (double bronze at Paris 2024 Olympics), Saurabh Chaudhary, and Chinki Yadav