Ex-national shooting coach Sunny Thomas no more
New Delhi: Former India shooting coach, Prof Sunny Thomas, who mentored many top shooters including Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra and pistol ace Jaspal Rana, died in Uzhavoor, Kerala on Wednesday. He was 83.
An English professor who became national shooting coach, the Dronacharya awardee was an excellent mentor who held the post for 19 years from 1993, a phase that saw the rise of two of India's brightest teenage shooting talents. Bindra became India's first individual Olympic champion at 2008 Beijing in 10m air rifle and Rana won multiple Asian Games and Commonwealth Games gold medals. It was during his tenure that Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won double trap silver at the 2004 Athens Games to end the wait for India's first Olympic shooting medal.
Bindra wrote on X: '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. 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.'
Rana's message on X said: 'It pains me to hear my Guru Sunny Thomas Sir has passed away. He was a father figure for me as I won medals for India. If I have become a coach, it is Sunny Sir blessings. RIP SIR.'
Shooting federation (NRAI) president, Kalikesh Singh Deo, said: 'This is a void which Indian shooting will find very difficult to fill. Prof 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 and on behalf of everyone at NRAI, I send my heartfelt condolences to his loved ones.'
Former India shooter and national rifle coach, Deepali Deshpande, said: 'Prof Thomas played a very important role in building the foundation for shooting sport.'
He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
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