Indian shooting superstar, outspoken coach and invincible warrior Jaspal Rana is no more with us. At the age of just 49, he died untimely due to a heart attack on 12 June 2026 in Delhi. His death has left not only the shooting community but the entire Indian sports world in deep shock.
Jaspal Rana was the ‘real rockstar’, ‘angry young man’ and ‘first superstar’ of Indian shooting. In the 90s, when only cricket was popular in the country, he took shooting to the peak of popularity with his outspoken style, aggressive attitude and amazing shooting. He never bowed down before the system, always fought for the rights of the athletes and remained in the headlines because of his aggressive and aggressive image. Many times, due to his determination and courage, he performed brilliantly on the shooting range even in difficult circumstances and created records.
From borrowed gun to world record
Jaspal Rana’s journey was an example of struggle and passion. In the initial days of his career, he did not have money to buy a modern pistol. He borrowed a 17-year-old second-hand pistol from a senior player and won a medal in the Asian Games with the same worn-out gun. Foreign shooters used to come with modern guns, but Rana’s stubbornness and aim surprised everyone. He once said that “No matter how expensive a gun is, it does not hit the target, it is the stubbornness of the person standing behind it and his eyes that do.”
Jaspal’s fellow shooter Achal Sehgal tells that sometime after we started shooting in our childhood in the early 1990s, Jaspal’s and I’s father pooled our money and bought an air pistol, with which we both used to take turns in training and also in matches.
When Jaspal conquered the world by running away from the hospital
What 18 year old Jaspal Rana did in the 1994 World Shooting Championship in Milan (Italy) is still one of the most inspiring stories in the history of Indian sports. Recalling Jaspal’s courage, former shooting coach DK Shukla says that just a day before the 25 meter standard pistol event, he developed a big boil on his knee. The infection was so severe that local doctors advised immediate operation and refused to discharge him from the hospital. But Jaspal refused to put his Olympic dreams at stake. In the dark of night, he secretly escaped from the hospital along with his national coach Sunny Thomas so that he could participate in the competition the next morning.
DK Shukla tells that even at the peak of pain, Jaspal did not give up. Due to the bursting of the boil, the leg had become swollen and wearing jeans had become impossible. Without wasting a moment, he cut his jeans into shorts with scissors and reached the shooting range. The pain was so unbearable that he could not even sleep at night, yet he refused to take any strong painkiller. Because due to uncertainty regarding anti-doping rules, they were afraid that any medicine might prove to be a doping violation.
World record for overcoming pain
Despite suffering from pain and fever the whole night, Jaspal Rana did an amazing job by standing in the firing lane the next morning. He shot an incredible score of 569, setting a junior world record and winning the gold medal. Later, remembering this match, he said, I had only one goal – after completing the event, I should immediately go to the doctor and take medicine for pain. But when I finished shooting, the coach came and said – You have won the gold. After some time he came again and said – This is a junior world record!
Immediately after creating history, he returned to the hospital and got his operation done. This was a victory of morale, which proves even today that Jaspal Rana was not just a shooter but a true warrior in the shooting field.
Battle with fever overnight and world record in the morning
This incident is from the 2006 Doha Asian Games, which proved why Jaspal Rana is called the greatest fighter of Indian shooting. Just one night before his main event (25 meter center fire pistol), Jaspal Rana developed a high fever of 103 degrees. He had become so physically weak that it was difficult to even get up from the bed.
Due to Jaspal’s insistence on playing the match in the morning, the team’s former coach late Syed Wajid Ali kept placing cold water compresses on his forehead throughout the night so that the fever could be reduced a bit. He could not sleep the whole night. But the next morning, without sleep and struggling with weakness, Jaspal reached the shooting range directly. There he not only won the gold medal but also equaled the world record with 589 points.
After winning this match, he gave his famous statement in front of the media: “Critics were thinking that I am finished, but I am not dead yet.” Recalling these incidents, Dushyant Kumar Shukla says, ‘Jaspal’s courage was amazing, now only memories and his absence will continue to pain the shooting world.’
Clash with the system: Dronacharya Award controversy
Even in 2019, when his disciples Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary were making waves across the world, Jaspal Rana was not given the Dronacharya Award. The committee said that he was very young. Instead of remaining silent or flattering, Rana launched a scathing attack on the system. His statement still stands as an example today:
“If you have to give then give, if you don’t have to give then don’t give, but don’t make false excuses. I will not go around the offices of politicians or officials and beg for any reward.”
Manu Bhaker’s father-like coach
After the failure of Tokyo Olympics, when the whole world was criticizing Manu Bhaker, Jaspal Rana took charge of him again. He not only taught how to use a gun, but also steeled the player’s mind. Rana’s strict but patient coaching played a big role in Manu Bhaker winning two bronze medals at Paris 2024.
Jaspal Rana maintained the fighter image till his last days. His Instagram bio is going viral today: “When death is certain, it is best to dedicate yourself to a good cause.”
A legacy that will live forever
Jaspal Rana won 15 medals including 9 gold in the Commonwealth Games, made many records in the Asian Games and brought Indian shooting into the mainstream by winning gold in the Hiroshima Asiad at the age of 18. But he left a bigger legacy as a coach – by grooming Manu Bhaker, Saurabh Chaudhary and many other young shooters. He was fearless, outspoken, and always fought for what was right. The Indian shooting world will now seem incomplete without him.
Jaspal Rana – Shooting Rockstar, Fighter and Mentor – Long Live! Your stubbornness, your voice, your style and your hard work will always inspire the coming generations.
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