New DelhI: Multiple Asian Games gold medallist, Jaspal Rana, has been appointed chief coach for junior pistol shooters by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI). Asked about the term, the NRAI said it will be reviewed sporadically. According to NRAI advisor Baljeet Singh Sethi, Rana will be entitled to get a monthly salary of INR 50,000, with the other coaches getting INR 30,000. The appointment was made on Monday.
"We are confident that Jaspal, with his experience, can help the junior shooters to take the next step. He has a great track record and should come in handy," Sethi told PTI. "We have not set a time-frame for his tenure but the performance of shooters under him will be reviewed from time to time," he added.
Another NRAI official said, on condition of anonymity, that Rana's appointment will be discussed in details during an internal meeting with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Saturday. A triple gold medallist in the 2006 Doha Asian Games, the 36-year-old's rich haul helped India substantially increase its medals tally.
Rana is excited at the prospect of getting to guide the young shooters and expressed confidence when asked how challenging it would be to live up to NRAI and his own expectations. According to him, the most important task would be to get everything linked to the sport, organised.Rana, who has often questioned the NRAI's functioning, said he had hunch about his appointment.
"This is going to be a challenging job for me, but I am confident of delivering the goods. As far as organisation goes, that is very important. "Just getting the kids enrolled in a good academy and spending money is not everything. So, my first task would be to get everything in order," Rana said. An exponent of 25-metre center fire event, Rana has also won medals in air pistol, standard pistol, free pistol and rapid fire pistol.
He missed the 'Best Sportsperson' award at the Doha Games by a whisker. At his peak, he was honoured with the National Citizen award by none other than Mother Teresa. Rana made his national debut at the age of 12 during the 31st National Shooting Championship at Ahmedabad and bagged a silver medal. He shot into fame when he won a gold at the 46th World Shooting Championship (Junior Section) with a world record score at Milan in 1994. Countless medals followed and Rana soon became a force to reckon with.
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