Jaspal Rana, one of the country's celebrated shooters and a distinguished coach, bid farewell to the world on Friday. He breathed his last at the age of 49 amid a medical emergency. At the time, Rana was on his way back to India from the ISSF World Cup held in Munich. During the journey itself, he suddenly began to feel uneasy and unwell. The staff present and his associates rushed him to Max Hospital in Saket, Delhi, the moment the plane landed, where he passed away.
Rana, who was serving as the high-performance coach for India's pistol shooters, had started feeling unwell on 1 June while returning from Munich, Germany. He had been admitted to Max Hospital and was receiving treatment ever since. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) later officially confirmed his death.
Given the nature of the trouble Jaspal Rana was experiencing, it is being suspected that he may have suffered a heart attack. It is possible that the cardiac problem began while he was still on the plane. However, the exact reason behind his death is yet to come to light. The hospital, too, has so far not confirmed whether he had a heart-related ailment or was brought in due to some other condition.
Rana was a gold medallist at the Asian Games and had also coached star shooter Manu Bhaker, who has won two Olympic medals. For his significant contribution to shooting, he had been honoured with the Padma Shri and the Arjuna Award. He won around 600 medals across various competitions.
Rana originally hailed from Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand. He played an extremely important role in making shooting popular in India. Most recently, he had been engaged in nurturing fresh talent in the country. It was under his guidance that Olympian Manu Bhaker secured two medals.
