Jaspal Rana was a straight shooter.
If only one phrase had to describe all that Rana encapsulated -- the prodigious talent, the medals, the immense coaching success, the forthrightness, even the controversies -- it's one that, fittingly, carried his biggest passion in it. A straight shooter, who gave his all to the sport of shooting.
Rana died of cardiac complications at the age of 49. He fell ill on the flight back to India post the Munich Word Cup, where he was part of the successful national contingent as the high-performance pistol coach, and underwent a medical procedure soon after returning to Delhi. His death came as a shock to the Indian sporting fraternity, who will always remember the transformative effect he had on Indian shooting's global landscape.
No conversation about pistol shooting in India can happen without Jaspal's name figuring prominently. He was one of the pioneers, both as player and coach. He emerged as a teen prodigy in the 1990s and, after a string of successes that gave Indian shooting a new profile, he became, in the 2010s, a coach of teen prodigies who in turn made India a name to reckon with in international shooting. His early involvement as a coach in the junior shooting system produced one of India's golden periods in shooting. Many headlines refer to him as the man who trained Manu Bhaker -- famously to two Olympics medals, but more notably when she was just 15 and still finding her way around a shooting range. His role as junior coach saw the likes of Saurabh Chaudahry, Esha Singh, Anish Bhanwala among others prosper into senior international medallists as teenagers.
One generation of Indian sports followers will remember him as one of the first Indian shooters to win medals consistently at the multi-sport events. We take this success for granted now but, back in 1994, his performance at the Commonwealth and Asian Games was a breakthrough of sorts for Indian shooting. His crowning glory came at the 2006 Asiad when he won three gold medals and a silver, while equalling the world record.
As Abhinav Bindra posted, Rana was "part of a generation that helped shape Indian shooting."
There were a lot of ambiguous adjectives one could use about Rana the coach -- outspoken, maverick, disciplinarian. These qualities sometimes got him into trouble, with the authorities and sometimes even a media trial, like at the Tokyo Olympics. But all of these were attributes that also made him bring out the best in the shooters around him.
Suma Shirur, who has been associated with Rana for decades first as teammates and then as co-coaches, recalled how he was perceptive and fun-loving during their playing days. "He touched each one in his own way. From small things where if anyone was sitting alone, he would just go sit next to them and start talking, he would keep the whole team was generally together and entertained," she told ESPN India. She also shared an anecdote on social media on how Rana went out of his way to get her husband to wish her when she was on tour as a newly-wed.
Deeply saddened by the passing of Jaspal.
A small act of kindness from over 25 years ago is one of the memories that has stayed with me ever since.
Remembering the years, the memories, and his immense contribution to Indian shooting.
Rest in peace, Jaspal. pic.twitter.com/9AZciBUHra
- Suma Shirur OLY (@SumaShirur) June 12, 2026
Rana was passionate about the technicalities of shooting and willing to share his knowledge. Shirur recalls how he guided her while buying a new rifle, an intervention that made a big difference. "He told me, 'This is an old model, you should buy the latest one.' My import license at the time was for the old one, but I amended it on his suggestion. He thought it was important for me as an athlete, and I got a more futuristic rifle that lasted me longer."
Rana, the coach, though seemed markedly different upfront. He was openly opinionated, strict about training and didn't couch his words whether he was talking to young athletes or journalists. Despite his success, he was even snubbed for a Dronacharya award in 2019. His coaching style may have been unusual, but it was a reflection of his dedication to the craft.
Anish, who trained with Rana since 2017, shared an example of this. "He was not a normal coach. He was a hard taskmaster and not every youngster liked his style of coaching. I was no different; at times, I felt his methods were a bit too harsh. But as we matured, we realised that everything he did was for our benefit," he told PTI.
This writer experienced this first-hand at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi when he sternly spoke to Anish and a few other shooters in the presence of a few media persons; it was an awkward moment but was an example of Rana's lack of pretence. His focus was on the results he knew the talented bunch could produce, and he pushed them into excellence.
Perhaps the best example of Rana's polarising role in Indian shooting's pantheon was his relationship with Manu Bhaker across the last two Olympic cycles.
The two were a successful unit in the lead-up to Tokyo, with Manu relying heavily on Rana as seen after both her hits and misses at the Delhi World Cup in 2019. But they had a falling-out soon after, which was attributed to Rana's opinion that Manu should not compete in three events at the Games. There were public acts of retaliation and Manu asked for a change of coach. He was then partly blamed India's abject failure in Tokyo, being outright called a "negative factor" on Manu by the NRAI.
A few years later, though, Manu approached him once again to restart their coaching partnership as she prepared for the 2024 Paris Olympics. He was impressed by her emotional maturity, they let bygones be bygones and the rest was history. Under his tutelage -- and not as national coach this time -- Manu became the first Indian to win two medals at the same Olympics.
Coach Rana's redemption arc was better than any film script could imagine, but this time the man known for being outspoken had no retorts. The maturity he showed after the 2024 Olympics to not harshly retaliate at the naysayers was yet another facet of Rana's unique personality.
By 2025, he was back in the Indian coaching set up as high-performance director. Indeed, his last assignment as coach will be the very successful 2026 Munich campaign where Esha Singh won the women's 25m pistol -- his discipline -- with a world record score. It will be a bittersweet memory for years to come.
Rana's death leaves behind a big void in Indian shooting, and a bigger legacy, both of which will be unmatched.