Sameer Gulia becomes junior world champion, dedicates title to Jaspal Rana
3 min readJun 20, 2026 12:13 AM IST Upon becoming the world junior champion in men’s 25m rapid fire pistol on Friday, Sameer Gulia’s first thoughts were about his gun’s grip. A couple of years ago, Jaspal Rana had advised the Haryana shooter to get his grip changed from Germany. Last week, Rana breathed his last and the 19-year-old chose to dedicate his maiden world title to the legendary coach. “Jaspal Rana sir was the guiding force for all juniors in the Indian team in recent years and earlier too. Every time I shot with this gun, his motivating words, ‘Aur mehnat kar Sameer beta aur dhyan na bhatkana’ (Work harder and don’t let your focus waver) would ring in my ears,” Gulia tells The Indian Express after triumphing at the ISSF World Junior Championships in Suhl, Germany. An only child, Gulia grew up in Purkhas village near Sonepat, eyeing his mother Anita Devi’s medals at home. Devi, who became the 25m pistol national champion in 2013, quit shooting to concentrate on making her son …
