'A profound loss for Indian sport': PM Modi leads tributes after Indian shooting legend Jaspal Rana dies at 49

Tributes poured in from across the country after Indias shooting legend Jaspal Rana passed away on Thursday night at the age of 49 The former Asian Games and Commonwealth Games gold medallist was regarded as one of Indias greatestever shootersAt the time of his passing he was serving as the highperformance coach for Indias pistol shooters a role he was officially appointed to in February 2025 to oversee the 25m pistol disciplineJaspal Rana was a decorated athlete with numerous international titles He later turned to coaching with his most highprofile success coming at the Paris 2024 Olympics where he famously guided Manu Bhaker to her historic doublebronzemedal victoryThroughout his glorious career Rana won 15 Commonwealth titles including nine gold medals He was awarded the Arjuna Award at just 18 years old followed by the Padma Shri three years laterTributes flow in for Jaspal RanaIndian Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra shared a tribute on social media hailing him as a pioneer who helped build modern Indian shootingHeartbroken to hear about Jaspal Ranarsquos passingJaspal was my teammate and in many ways part of a generation that helped shape Indian shooting He was intense gifted and carried the pride of the country every time he stepped onto the rangeThis is a huge loss for ourhellipmdash Abhinav A Bindra OLY Abhinav_Bindra June 12 2026Heartbroken to hear about Jaspal Ranarsquos passing Jaspal was my teammate and in many ways part of a generation that helped shape Indian shooting He was intense gifted and carried the pride of the country every time he stepped onto the range Bindra tweetedPM Narendra Modi too offered his condolences towards the former Indian shooting icon PM Modi described Ranas death as a major blow to Indian sportsDeeply saddened by the passing of Shri Jaspal Rana Ji His passing is a profound loss to the world of Indian sports He brought immense glory to the nation through his extraordinary achievements in shooting Equally remarkable was his contribution as a mentor shaping and guiding young athletes with great dedication His unwavering commitment to excellence discipline and service to the sporting world earned him immense admiration My thoughts are with his family friends and the entire sporting fraternity in this hour of grief Om Shanti PM Modi saidDeeply saddened by the passing of Shri Jaspal Rana Ji His passing is a profound loss to the world of Indian sportsHe brought immense glory to the nation through his extraordinary achievements in shooting Equally remarkable was his contribution as a mentor shaping andhellipmdash Narendra Modi narendramodi June 12 2026Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised Ranas contribution towards Indian sports and his impact on the younger generation hellip pictwittercomZwCCJOFkPtmdash Rajnath Singh rajnathsingh June 12 2026I am stunned and griefstricken by the sudden demise of the internationally renowned shooter Jaspal Rana Jaspal was not only an exceptional athlete and coach but also an extremely affable simple and very kindhearted person He played a highly influential role in popularising shooting as a sport in India Rajnath Singh shared on his social mediaFormer Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan hailed Rana as an inspiration and thanked him for his contribution towards Indian sportsA champion a coach and an inspiration to many Jaspal Ranarsquos impact on Indian shooting will be felt for generations My thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time Dhawan tweetedA champion a coach and an inspiration to many Jaspal Ranarsquos impact on Indian shooting will be felt for generations My thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult timemdash Shikhar Dhawan SDhawan25 June 12 2026President of India Droupadi Murmu reacted to Ranas death calling him an exceptional shooter who brought glory to the nationThe news of the passing of Shri Jaspal Rana Ji is extremely sad He was a renowned shooter whose exceptional performances brought glory to the nationA winner of several medals at global shooting competitions he established himself as an icon of Indian sports As an athlete andhellipmdash President of India rashtrapatibhvn June 12 2026