Former National shooting coach Sunny Thomas no more

Professor Sunny Thomas, the national coach during the golden phase of Indian shooting, passed away at his home in Uzhavoor in Kottayam on Wednesday. He was 83 and is survived by his wife Josamma, two sons and a daughter.

Thomas was the national shooting coach for 19 years, from 1993 to 2012, and during this period the country won four Olympic medals including Abhinav Bindra’s gold in Beijing 2008. That was India’s first-ever Olympic gold in an individual event. Thomas was presented the Dronacharya Award in 2001.

Abhinav Bindra with Sunny Thomas.
| Photo Credit:
FILE PHOTO: M. LAKSHMAN

“Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Prof. Sunny Thomas. He was more than a coach, he was a mentor, guide and father figure to generations of Indian shooters,” wrote five-time Olympian and former World champion Bindra on X.

“His belief in our potential and his relentless dedication to the sport laid the foundation for India’s rise in international shooting. He played a big role in my early years and I’ll always be grateful for his support and guidance. Rest in peace, sir. Your impact is everlasting.”

Indian shooters had won hundreds of medals, in five Olympics, six World Championships, over 50 World Cups, six Asian Games and five Commonwealth Games, under his guidance. The other Olympic medals during Thomas tenure as coach came from Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (silver, Athens 2004) and in the 2012 London Olympics from Vijay Kumar (silver) and Gagan Narang (bronze).

Thomas took to shooting at the Kottayam Rifle Club and was a multiple State champion and a national champion in 1976.

Thomas was also a professor and head of the English department at Uzhavoor’s St. Stephen’s College for nearly 30 years. The funeral will be held at Thevakkal, near Kakkanad, in Kochi at 9.30 a.m. on Thursday.

Very difficult to fill the void: NRAI president

“This is a void which Indian shooting will find very difficult to fill,” said Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, the president of the National Rifle Association of India.

“Professor Thomas was an institution in shooting and India would not have become the shooting power that it is today, without his selfless contribution to our sport. The entire shooting community is in grief.”