Former Indian shooter Jaspal Rana passed away in New Delhi on Thursday night. Tributes have been pouring in for him, with Abhinav Bindra, India's first individual gold Olympic medallist, leading the way.
Rana won many prestigious government awards, including the Arjuna Award in 1994, the Padma Shri in 1997, and the Dhronacharya Award in 2020. He also dabbled in politics and contested the Lok Sabha elections for the BJP.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Rana's contribution to Indian sports, saying his passing is a 'profound loss to the world of Indian sports.'
Rana touched all and sundry as a professional shooter as well as a coach, and his untimely death has saddened the shooting fraternity and the overall sports fraternity in India.
Former India cricketer Shikhar Dhawan, India cricket head coach Gautam Gambhir, and former boxer Vijender Singh were among those who paid tribute to Rana, calling him a 'champion, a coach and an inspiration to many.'
