Shooting legend Jaspal Rana back in NRAI as 25m pistol high-performance coach

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the sport's apex body in the country, appointed several former shooters as coaches of the national team during its governing body meeting at the Constitution Club here

New Delhi: The legendary Jaspal Rana is back in Indian shooting’s mainstream as the national federation on Saturday made him the high-performance coach for 25m pistol, while picking the decorated Jitu Rai for the 10m air pistol coaching job.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the sport’s apex body in the country, appointed several former shooters as coaches of the national team during its governing body meeting at the Constitution Club here. Also appointed as head coach (rifle) was the latest Dronacharya award recipient Deepali Deshpande.

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In all, a total of 16 new members were appointed to the coaching team, with 19 being retained, including one coordinator (Amar Jung Singh) and two coaches (Priti Sharma and Anuja Jung) for deaf shooters.

Prominent names who have been appointed new national team coaches include pistol ace Jitu (10m air pistol) as well as former internationals Pooja Ghatkar (10m air rifle), Pemba Tamang (25m pistol), Amarinder Cheema (skeet) and Varsha Tomar (trap), among others.

Two high-performance managers — Mansher Singh and Ronak Pandit — have also been appointed for the disciplines of shotgun and pistol respectively. Besides Rana, others who have been appointed high-performance coaches include D.S. Chandel (air rifle), Anwer Sultan (trap) and Manoj Kumar (50m rifle).

The seasoned Vikram Chopra (shotgun) and Samaresh Jung (pistol) have also been retained and will form a troika of head coaches alongside Deepali.

Key decisions regarding the inaugural Shooting League of India (SLI) were also taken at the meeting, with Elena Norman, who was earlier associated with Hockey India as its CEO, being appointed consultant for the league.

Rana, a pistol legend in his own right who won three Asian Games gold medals in the 2006 edition, is credited with helping Manu Bhaker clinch an unprecedented two medals (bronze) at the Olympic Games in Paris last year.

He had earlier served as NRAI’s junior coach and played a role in shaping up the careers of fine shooters such as Saurabh Chaudhary and Bhaker. Known in the circuit as a hard taskmaster, Rana has his own way of working with the shooters, something that saw him achieve success.

Rana’s return is not surprising as NRAI president Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo had hinted at bringing him back into the mainstream after he helped Bhaker achieve glory in Paris in his own capacity.

Jitu is also one of India’s finest shooters having won multiple medals at ISSF World Cups, World Championship and Asian Games. New Horizons Alliance Pvt. Ltd. was chosen as the shooting league’s commercial and marketing agency.