Legendary shooter Jaspal Rana passes away at 49

Renowned shooter Jaspal Rana has passed away. He had fallen ill while returning from Munich. Upon his arrival in Delhi, he was admitted to a hospital in Saket for treatment.

New Delhi : India’s legendary shooter Jaspal Rana is no more; he passed away on Friday June 12, 2026 at a hospital in Delhi. He was 49 years old. After retiring from competitive shooting, the former international marksman had been working as a coach to nurture and guide emerging shooting talent.

News of Jaspal Rana’s passing away has sent a wave of grief through the sports fraternity. Reports indicate that he was recently returning home from Munich, where he had served as the High-Performance Coach for the Indian contingent participating in the ISSF World Cup. He was on his way back with the Indian team following their impressive performance at the tournament.

During the journey from Munich to New Delhi, Rana began to feel unwell. Upon the flight’s arrival in Delhi, he complained of discomfort and was taken directly from the airport to Max Hospital in Saket. Doctors at the hospital were attending to him, but he passed away on Friday Jume 12, 2026 morning while undergoing treatment.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed deep sorrow over the legendary shooter’s demise in a post on the social media platform X. He wrote that, in addition to being an outstanding athlete and coach, Jaspal was an approachable, unassuming, and kind-hearted person. He played a significant role in popularising shooting as a sport in India.

Jaspal Rana won gold medals for the country at the World Shooting Championships and the Asian Games. He is credited with playing a major role in popularising shooting in the country. Originally hailing from Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand, Jaspal Rana was awarded the Padma Shri in 2002 for his outstanding success in the field of shooting.

Jaspal Rana had also coached Paris Olympics medalist Manu Bhaker. After returning empty-handed from the Tokyo Olympics 2020, Manu Bhaker had blamed Jaspal Rana for her failure. However, in 2023, Jaspal Rana became Manu Bhaker’s coach and began preparing her for the Paris Olympics. When Manu Bhaker won the Olympic medal, Jaspal Rana was indeed her coach.