Jaspal Rana, one of India’s most accomplished pistol shooters and a coach, died on Friday . He was 49.
Rana passed away after suffering complications related to a heart condition, ANI quoted Dr Balbir Singh, chief of interventional cardiology at Delhi’s Max Super Speciality Hospital as saying.
He had recently fallen ill during the Indian contingent’s return flight from the shooting world cup in Munich, Germany, The Indian Express reported.
He was the high-performance coach for India’s pistol shooters.
Rana is India’s most successful Commonwealth Games athlete, having won 15 medals in four editions of the event. This includes nine gold medals, four silver and two bronze.
After retiring from competition, Rana became a coach and had been mentoring several leading shooters , including Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, Saurabh Chaudhary, Anish Bhanwala and Chinki Yadav, Sportstar reported.
Under his mentorship, Bhaker became the first Indian to win two medals at a single Olympic Games, claiming bronze in the women’s and mixed team 10 metre air pistol events at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Rana received the Arjuna Award, India’s second-highest sporting honour, in 1994. He was awarded the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian honour, in 1997, and the Dronacharya Award, the highest recognition for sports coaches, in 2020.
President Droupadi Murmu said that Rana’s “ dedication, discipline and commitment to excellence will continue to inspire generations of sportspersons”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Rana’s death as a “ profound loss ” to Indian sports and said he had brought “immense glory” to the nation through his achievements as a shooter and a mentor.
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya noted that Rana’s “ incredible contributions to our nation, as a champion athlete and an exceptional mentor, leave behind an inspiring legacy”.
Olympic gold medallist and shooter Abhinav Bindra said that he was heartbroken by the news of Rana’s death.
“Jaspal was my teammate, and in many ways, part of a generation that helped shape Indian shooting,” Bindra said. “He was intense, gifted and carried the pride of the country every time he stepped onto the range.”
Edited by Nachiket Deuskar.
Read the full article at Scroll.in →
India