In a tragic turn of events, just 16 days after Jaspal Rana's death, the Indian shooting legend's mother, Shyama Devi Rana, also died in Delhi following a long illness. Incidentally, she passed away on Sunday, 28 June, which would have been her son's 50th birthday.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami confirmed the news of the passing away of Jaspal Rana's mother.
ETV Bharat reported that Shyama Devi had been admitted to the Army Hospital in New Delhi on 16 June, four days after her son's death. She was in a critical condition and had been undergoing treatment for cancer.
"We have received the extremely sorrowful news of the passing of Smt. Narayan Singh Rana Ji's wife and the revered mother of the renowned Indian shooter, Padma Shri Late Jaspal Rana Ji. In this hour of grief, my deepest condolences are with the bereaved family. May the Lord grant a place at His divine feet to the departed soul and bestow strength upon the grief-stricken family to bear this unbearable sorrow. Om Shanti," Dhami wrote on X today.
Jaspal Rana, who was born on 28 June 1976 in Uttarakhand, primarily competed in the 25m Centre Fire Pistol and was a dominant force in the sport through the 1990s and 2000s.
He remains India's most successful athlete in Commonwealth Games history, having won 15 medals (nine gold, four silver and two bronze) across four editions from 1994 to 2006. He also won eight medals at the Asian Games, including four gold medals, having shot to fame at the 1994 Asian Games in Japan's Hiroshima.
He reached his career peak at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, and equalled the world record of 590 points in the 25m Centre Fire Pistol event. He also represented India at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where he competed in the men's 10m Air Pistol and 50m Free Pistol events.
Following his retirement from the sport in 2006, Rana transitioned to coaching, taking over as the High-Performance Coach for the national 25m pistol team. He revolutionised Indian shooting by introducing high-pressure training modules to help athletes prepare for high-pressure situations, such as major events like the Olympics.
Rana also played a huge role in Manu Bhaker's shooting career, as she went on to win two historic bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
