From 1994 Victoria Games to 2006 Melbourne Games, Indian pistol shooter Jaspal Rana recorded such a record in the Commonwealth Games, which no player from the country has been able to break till now.
By- Amit Raghav (Bureau Chief Dehradun)
India’s most successful athletes in Commonwealth Games –
How Jaspal Rana created an indelible legacy
From 1994 Victoria Games to 2006 Melbourne Games, Indian pistol shooter Jaspal Rana recorded such a record in the Commonwealth Games, which no player from the country has been able to break till now.
India has been one of the strongest nations in the Commonwealth Games for decades. Indian players have made an indelible mark with their talent in wrestling, shooting, weightlifting, athletics and many other sports.
But in this big event held every four years, the career of no Indian athlete has been as successful as that of the great pistol shooter Jaspal Rana.
Jaspal Rana created his illustrious legacy in the Commonwealth Games four times. From the 1994 Victoria Games to the 2006 Melbourne Games, he won 15 medals in shooting, including nine gold medals. With this brilliant performance he Became India’s most successful Commonwealth Games athlete.
After this comes his fellow shooter Samaresh Jung, who won a total of 14 medals in the Manchester 2002, Melbourne 2006 and Delhi 2010 games. He had won many of these medals together with Rana.
Table tennis legend Sharath Kamal is the only one of India’s three most successful players at the Commonwealth Games who is not a shooter. He has won a total of 13 medals, out of which seven are gold.
Most successful Indian athlete in Commonwealth Games
Most successful Indian athlete in CWG
athlete medal gold silver bronze
Jaspal Rana 15 9 4 2
Samaresh Jung 14 7 5 2
Autumn lotus. 13 7 3. 3
India’s performance in Commonwealth Games: Know how the journey has been so far
Australian swimmer and multiple-time Olympic medalist Emma McKeon is the athlete with the most medals at the Commonwealth Games, winning a total of 20 (14 gold, one silver and five bronze).
Emma McKeon tops the Commonwealth Games medal tally so far. Jaspal Rana is the most successful player in Indian sports history. He carved his legacy in four editions of the Commonwealth Games, starting with his memorable debut at the 1994 Victoria Games.
Jaspal Rana at the Victoria 1994 Commonwealth Games
He won the gold medal in 25 meter standard pistol at the Junior World Championships at the beginning of the year. After this, Jaspal Rana participated in the 1994 Commonwealth Games held in Victoria, Canada as one of India’s most promising young shooting talents.
Took part in his first Commonwealth Games at the age of just 18 And Rana won four medals. He won gold in the 25m centre-fire pistol and centre-fire pistol pairs events, while he won a silver in the individual 10m air pistol and a bronze in the pairs event.
Jaspal Rana later credited his historic success to the environment that laid a strong foundation for his career, which became one of the most successful in Indian sports history.
“The environment there was very good and I was able to focus on my shooting under the excellent guidance of my mentor and coach Tibor Gonzol,” Rana recalled in an interview with Sportstar in 2022.
Rana represented India in the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.
Jaspal Rana’s performance at the Kuala Lumpur 1998 Commonwealth Games
Four years after the Victoria Games, Rana arrived in Kuala Lumpur as India’s biggest medal hope in shooting.
However, his preparation was not easy. Electronic targets had become useless due to frequent power cuts at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in Delhi. Additionally, equipment problems also created a lot of difficulties in their preparation for the Games.
In an interview with India Today in 1998, when asked what he needed most before moving to Kuala Lumpur, Rana replied with just one word – ‘electricity’.
But after the start of the match, the initial difficulties did not have any significant impact. Rana successfully defended both his 25m centre-fire pistol individual and pairs titles. Apart from this, he also won silver medals in the individual and pairs events of 10 meter air pistol, taking his total number of medals in the Commonwealth Games to eight.
Jaspal Rana at the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games held in Manchester proved to be the best game of Rana’s career.
He performed brilliantly in Manchester and won six medals, which included four gold, one silver and one bronze. He won these medals in 25 meter centre-fire pistol, 25 meter standard pistol and 10 meter air pistol events.
One of these gold medals he won with Samaresh Jung in the 25 meter standard pistol pairs event, marking the beginning of one of the most successful partnerships in Indian shooting.
Recalling his journey, Rana believes that the Commonwealth Games played an important role in taking Indian shooting forward.
Rana said, “The pairs and individual events at the Commonwealth Games prepared us well for the Asian Games and World Championships.”
He further added, “All the government support for the shooting started because of that.”
Jaspal Rana at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games
Twelve years after his debut, Rana arrived to compete in Melbourne as India’s most successful and respected shooter.
He won another medal. He won this gold medal with Samaresh Jung in the Men’s 25m Centre-Fire Pistol Pairs event and thus created a strong record by winning a total of 15 pistols in the Commonwealth Games.
He has a total of nine gold, four silver and two bronze medals to his name, which remains a benchmark for Indians in these games.
Jaspal Rana’s Commonwealth Games medal
Jaspal Rana’s CWG Medal
Medal CWG Edition Event
GOLD 1994 VICTORIA 25M CENTER FIRE PISTOL
GOLD 1994 VICTORIA 25 METER CENTER FIRE PISTOL PAIRS
GOLD 1998 KUALA LUMPUR 25 meter center fire pistol
Gold 1998 Kuala Lumpur. 25 meter center fire pistol pairs
GOLD 2002 Manchester 25m Center Fire Pistol
GOLD 2002 Manchester 25 Meter Center Fire Pistol Pairs
GOLD 2002 Manchester 25m Standard Pistol
GOLD 2002 Manchester 25 Meter Center Fire Pistol Pairs
GOLD 2006 MELBOURNE 25 Meter Center Fire Pistol Pairs
Silver. 1994 Victoria 10 meter air pistol
Silver 1998 Kuala Lumpur 10m Air Pistol
Silver 1998 Kuala Lumpur 10 Meter Air Pistol Pairs
Silver 2002 Manchester 10 Meter Air Pistol Pairs
Bronze 1994 Victoria 10 Meter Air Pistol Pairs
Bronze 2002 Manchester 10 Meter Air Pistol
Jaspal Rana’s legacy in Indian shooting
Rana’s influence on Indian shooting continued beyond his competitive career. After retirement, he took up the role of a coach and played an important role in preparing the next generation of pistol shooters of the country.
Worked with Manu Bhaker between 2018 and 2021. After this, Rana again associated with this star shooter before the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Bhakar created history under the brilliant leadership of Rana.. She became the first Indian athlete since independence to win two medals in the same Olympic Games. She won bronze medals in the women’s 10 m air pistol and mixed team 10 m air pistol events.
Apart from the national camp, Rana guides budding shooters through the Jaspal Rana Shooting Academy and also plays a key role in the high-performance program of Indian shooting.
In February 2025, he was appointed India’s high-performance coach for the 25 meter pistol event.
Rana’s demise Died in June 2026 at the age of 49. A month later the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) honored his long-standing contribution to the sport. The July 2026 rifle and pistol competition was renamed ‘Jaspal Rana Memorial India Open Competition’.
It was a fitting tribute to the great sportsman, whose legacy is not limited to record-breaking medals but is also reflected in his contribution to the development of Indian shooting, nurturing new talent and inspiring generations to come.
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