New Delhi [India], June 12 (ANI): India’s 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra paid his condolences on the dying of his former teammate and Dronacharya Award-winning coach Jaspal Rana.
The 49-year-old handed away in New Delhi on Friday after battling well being problems. He was admitted to Max Hospital in Saket, South Delhi, the place he breathed his final, hospital officers confirmed.
Bindra shared a put up on X and wrote, ‘Heartbroken to listen to about Jaspal Rana’s passing. Jaspal was my teammate, and in some ways, a part of a era that helped form Indian capturing. He was intense, gifted, and carried the satisfaction of the nation each time he stepped onto the vary. This is a big loss for our sport. My deepest condolences to his household, mates, college students and everybody whose life he touched.’
Rana had reportedly fallen ailing whereas getting back from the ISSF World Cup in Munich on Thursday and later underwent a medical process in Delhi. His passing comes as a significant blow to Indian capturing, the place he performed a transformative function each as an athlete and a coach.
One of India’s most adorned shooters, Rana leaves behind a exceptional legacy spanning greater than three many years. He stays India’s most profitable Commonwealth Games athlete, having gained a rare 15 medals — 9 gold, 4 silver and two bronze — throughout the 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006 editions of the Games.
His achievements prolonged nicely past the Commonwealth stage. Rana secured 4 gold medals and one silver on the Asian Games, together with a gold medal on the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games and a historic haul of three gold medals on the 2006 Doha Asian Games.
Known for his grit and willpower, Rana famously gained three gold medals in Doha regardless of competing with a excessive fever, a feat that is still some of the celebrated achievements in Indian capturing historical past.
After retiring from competitors, Rana devoted himself to teaching and expertise growth. As a junior nationwide coach, he recognized and nurtured a number of future stars, together with Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary.
Despite a broadly publicised fallout with Bhaker earlier than the Tokyo Olympics, the 2 later reunited, with Rana taking part in a key function in her profitable marketing campaign that culminated in two bronze medals on the Paris Olympics in 2024.
He was conferred the Arjuna Award in 1994 and the Padma Shri in 1997 for his contributions to Indian capturing. He was awarded the Dronacharya Award in 2020.
At the time of his dying, Rana was serving as India’s high-performance coach for pistol occasions. (ANI)