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The Hindu
30-04-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
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. '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.'
New Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Renowned shooting coach Sunny Thomas passes away at 85
KOTTAYAM: Prof. Sunny Thomas, the celebrated shooting coach who transitioned from teaching English to shaping India's Olympic shooting legacy, passed away early on Wednesday following a heart attack. He was 85. A native of Uzhavoor in Kottayam district, Prof Thomas was best known as the mentor of Abhinav Bindra, India's first individual Olympic gold medallist. He served as the chief coach of the Indian national shooting team from 1993 to 2012, leading the country through one of its most successful phases in the sport. Under his guidance, India secured multiple Olympic medals, including Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore's silver at the 2004 Athens Olympics, India's first individual silver medal, and Bindra's historic gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At the 2012 London Olympics, India added to its tally with Vijay Kumar clinching silver and Gagan Narang winning bronze, both trained under Thomas. His influence extended well beyond the Olympics. During his tenure, Indian shooters bagged 29 medals at the Asian Games and a remarkable 95 medals at the Commonwealth Games. Prof Thomas was a five-time Kerala state champion and a former national champion in the rifle open sight category. His passion for the sport began in 1965 when he joined the Kottayam Rifle Club. After retiring as an English professor, he dedicated himself fully to coaching, a shift that marked a turning point in Indian shooting. In recognition of his immense contribution to Indian sport, he was awarded the prestigious Dronacharya Award in 2001. Born on 26 September 1941 to K K Thomas and Marykutty of the Meckatt family in Thidanad, Kottayam, he completed his higher education at CMS College, Kottayam. He taught at Sacred Heart College, Thevara, before joining St Stephen's College, Uzhavoor, where he later retired as an English professor. He is survived by his wife, Prof K J Josamma, a former botany professor at the same college, and their children—Manoj Sunny, Sanil Sunny and Sonia Sunny.
