Jaspal Rana
Encyclopedia
Jaspal Rana is an Indian shooter
. He contested mainly in the 25 m Centre Fire Pistol category. He was a gold medallist at the 1994 Asian Games
, 2006 Commonwealth Games
, and 2006 Asian Games
. At present, Rana coaches at the Jaspal Rana Institute of Education and Technology in Dehradun
.
family in Uttarakhand
. He grew up in Mussoorie, Dehradun Nainbagh and later on in Delhi and studied at the K.V. Air Force Station Tughlkabad, and St. Stephen's and Sri Aurobindo colleges. His first coach was his father, Narayan Singh Rana, an ITBP official. Later on Tibor Ganazol coached him to perfection.
Rana made his national début at the age of 12, at the 31st National Shooting Championship at Ahmedabad
and won won a Silver Medal. He shot into Standard Pistol shooting fame when he won a Gold at the 46th World Shooting Championship (Junior Section) with a world record score at Milan
, Italy
, in 1994.
At the 2006 Asian Games
in Doha
, he equalled the world record in 25 m Center Fire Pistol with 590 points (he had made this score twice previously; in 1995 in Coimbatore
, and in 1997 in Bangalore
in the national competitions). The Indian Olympic Association
sparked controversy when it announced that Rana would receive the 'Best Sportsperson' award at the Asian Games; but it was awarded to Korea
's Park Tae-Hwan
. Rana was graceful about the goof-up.
, the second highest award for achievement in sport, by the Indian government at an age of eighteen, by twenty one he became PadamShree and in between he was awarded National Citizen award by none other than Mother Teresa, other awards of national fame also came his way like windfall.
. Shortly after the Asian Games, he indicated that he would be interested in contesting elections and campaigning for the party. Recently political party BJP has announced that Rana will be contesting Lok Sabha elections from Tehri seat which also comprises most of the Dehradun town, Uttarkashi and Tehri district of Uttarakhand.
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
. He contested mainly in the 25 m Centre Fire Pistol category. He was a gold medallist at the 1994 Asian Games
1994 Asian Games
The 1994 Asian Games also known as XII Asiad were held from October 2 to October 16, 1994 in Hiroshima, Japan. The main theme of this edition was to promote peace and harmony among Asian nations. It was emphasized by the host because the venue was the site of the first atomic bomb attack in...
, 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
, and 2006 Asian Games
2006 Asian Games
The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia to host the games...
. At present, Rana coaches at the Jaspal Rana Institute of Education and Technology in Dehradun
Dehradun
- Geography :The Dehradun district has various types of physical geography from Himalayan mountains to Plains. Raiwala is the lowest point at 315 meters above sea level, and the highest points are within the Tiuni hills, rising to 3700 m above sea level...
.
Early days
Rana was born in a RajputRajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
family in Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
. He grew up in Mussoorie, Dehradun Nainbagh and later on in Delhi and studied at the K.V. Air Force Station Tughlkabad, and St. Stephen's and Sri Aurobindo colleges. His first coach was his father, Narayan Singh Rana, an ITBP official. Later on Tibor Ganazol coached him to perfection.
Rana made his national début at the age of 12, at the 31st National Shooting Championship at Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
and won won a Silver Medal. He shot into Standard Pistol shooting fame when he won a Gold at the 46th World Shooting Championship (Junior Section) with a world record score at Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, in 1994.
International events
Rana won most of his medals in the Centre Fire Pistol event, but has also won Air Pistol, Standard Pistol, Free Pistol and Rapid Fire Pistol events. He has won more than 600 Medals at the national and international levels.At the 2006 Asian Games
2006 Asian Games
The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia to host the games...
in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
, he equalled the world record in 25 m Center Fire Pistol with 590 points (he had made this score twice previously; in 1995 in Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
, and in 1997 in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
in the national competitions). The Indian Olympic Association
Indian Olympic Association
The Indian Olympic Association is the body responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and other international athletic meets and for managing the Indian teams at the events...
sparked controversy when it announced that Rana would receive the 'Best Sportsperson' award at the Asian Games; but it was awarded to Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
's Park Tae-Hwan
Park Tae-hwan
Park Tae-hwan is a South Korean swimmer. He is a member of the South Korean national swimming team, based in Taereung, Seoul. He won a gold medal in the 400 meter freestyle and a silver in the 200 meter freestyle events at the 2008 Summer Olympics...
. Rana was graceful about the goof-up.
Major achievements
- Gold Medal in the 1994 Asian Games1994 Asian GamesThe 1994 Asian Games also known as XII Asiad were held from October 2 to October 16, 1994 in Hiroshima, Japan. The main theme of this edition was to promote peace and harmony among Asian nations. It was emphasized by the host because the venue was the site of the first atomic bomb attack in...
in HiroshimaHiroshimais the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M... - Gold medal in Men's 25m Centre Fire Pistol (Pairs) with Samaresh JungSamaresh JungSamaresh Jung is an Indian sport shooter. He is an air pistol specialist. At the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, he won two gold medals, in the men's free pistol pairs and in the open event of 25 m standard pistol pairs, both in partnership with Jaspal Rana...
at the 2006 Commonwealth Games2006 Commonwealth GamesThe 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site... - Gold Medals in 25m Standard Pistol and 25m Center Fire Pistol at the 2006 Asian Games on 7-8th Dec 2006
- While winning the 25 m Center Fire Pistol event, Rana equalled the world record by aggregating 590 points.*
Awards and recognition
In 1994, he was awarded Arjuna AwardArjuna award
The Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll....
, the second highest award for achievement in sport, by the Indian government at an age of eighteen, by twenty one he became PadamShree and in between he was awarded National Citizen award by none other than Mother Teresa, other awards of national fame also came his way like windfall.
Political career
Rana is a member of the Bharatiya Janata PartyBharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
. Shortly after the Asian Games, he indicated that he would be interested in contesting elections and campaigning for the party. Recently political party BJP has announced that Rana will be contesting Lok Sabha elections from Tehri seat which also comprises most of the Dehradun town, Uttarkashi and Tehri district of Uttarakhand.