13 June,2026 08:54 AM IST | Mumbai | S Kannan
Jaspal Rana and Manu Bhaker with her two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics
"Anna, mere liye dua karna." The video call with Jaspal Rana on Tuesday was loud and clear. I told the Dronacharya that he'd be fine, after he had been shifted out of intensive care into a room in a South Delhi hospital. This morning, news of the legendary shooter-turned coach passing away, seems like a bad dream.
The relation between a sportswriter and an athlete is sacrosanct. Jaspal and I shared a unique bond, friends since May 1994, when he won a gold medal in standard pistol event at the Junior World Championship in Milano, Italy. To have seen Jaspal win medals by the dozen, the word prodigy was coined. Alas,
16 days before he turned 50, Jaspal departs.
Tears well up, memories flood the brain, as a wonderful human is no more. He deserved to live much longer, for his life was all about sacrifices. He smiled despite turmoil in his personal life. He fought the system (National Rifle Association of India) as he felt he had been wronged, and yet, he patched up again with Manu Bhaker a year before the Paris Olympics. I had told him that the girl needs him the most.
The last 10 days have been hard, trying to understand how an athlete, so fit and healthy landed up with a cardiac problem. Jaspal wanted to fight, even while in hospital. Not once did he look defeated during the phone call.
Common perception is that Jaspal was only Manu's personal coach. In reality, he had helped hundreds of shooters. From Anish Bhanwala to Esha Singh, he guided all.
Beyond the tough exterior, Jaspal had a heart of gold. He was devout, helped people and never refused the media an interview. Yet, what hurt him most was when people mentioned that he was very hard with the athletes. "There are no short cuts for success. If Manu has won two medals at the Paris Olympics, it's good, but when she resumes training, she has to start from scratch. Old memories don't last forever when you go into the next Olympic cycle," Jaspal had said after the Paris closing ceremony.
Coaching came naturally to Jaspal. He was more like a father to Manu, the champion. If he scolded her, it was out of love and because he wanted her to be on top. "You don't win medals without sacrificing sleep. Yes, I never won an Olympic medal, but at least I could see my trainee win two," Jaspal would say repeatedly.
Manu and her family are affected deeply. The medals won in Paris 2024 were for herself and the nation. This time, she has to deliver for coach Jaspal Rana, be it at the Asian Games in Nagoya this year or the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. That will be the real âGuru Dakshina,' as Jaspal believed in old, deep-rooted values.
In September 2024, Jaspal had invited me to Mumbai to meet the directors who work with Siddharth Roy Kapur in Khar. "If you want to know about my life, ask Anna. He knows more than me," Jaspal said in his typical style. I suppose a movie on Jaspal cannot be delayed now.
