Latest news with #SunnyThomas
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
‘Sunny Thomas knew how to motivate young shooters: Samaresh Jung
File photo of former India shooter Samaresh Jung. (Image: X) Bengaluru: Former shooting stars Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore , Gagan Narang and 'Goldfinger' Samaresh Jung mourned the demise of celebrated coach Sunny Thomas . They hailed him as the 'Godfather of Indian shooting' who was the bridge between the shooters and the national federation. 'There was one instance during a national camp in 2000-01 in Bangalore when five of us — Jaspal Rana, Ved Prakash, Satendra Kumar, Vivek Singh and I — got our heads shaved. This was after Sunny Thomas had jokingly told us that if the five of us went bald, then he would too. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'In the evening, we went to the dining hall with our heads shaved. He was sitting there. He packed up his dinner, washed his hands and simply walked out. After 15 minutes, he returned. He had shaved his head,' former pistol ace Jung told TOI, giving an example of the bond between top shooters and the national coach Thomas. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Invest $200 in Amazon without buying stocks to earn a second salary Marketsall Sign Up Undo 'Most of the credit for all the superb performances can be traced back to the process that began during his time,' Jung said. 'As he was a college professor, he knew how to handle the young shooters.' Rathore added: 'He knew the sport intricately, he knew shooters very well. Most shooters in India have worked with him one time or the other. It's a loss to the sport of shooting.' London bronze medallist Narang said: 'Sunny sir was like the Godfather of Indian shooting .'
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Shooting coach Sunny Thomas passes away
Sunny Thomas (IANS Photo) Kochi: Sunny Thomas , the man who took Indian shooting to new heights as a national coach, died in Uzhavoor in Kottayam district of Kerala on Wednesday after a cardiac arrest. He was 84. In the mid-90s, when Thomas stated that Indian shooters would go on to break the hegemony of Chinese shooters on the global stage, there were quite a few raised eyebrows. India may not have toppled the Chinese as Thomas predicted, but the birth of the new millennium saw our national shooters enjoying a golden run. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! It started with Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore's historic silver at the 2004 Athens Olympics, followed by Abhinav Bindra's groundbreaking gold at Beijing. Four years later, Vijay Kumar and Gagan Narang won a silver and bronze in London. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Invest $200 in Amazon without buying stocks to earn a second salary Marketsall Sign Up Undo Soon after, Thomas stepped down from his role as national coach. During his almost two-decade-long stint from 1993 to 2012, Indian shooters accumulated 108 gold, 74 silver, and 53 bronze medals in international competitions spread across the Olympics, World Championships, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games. More than a coach, Thomas was a mentor to many of India's top shooters. '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,' Bindra wrote on his X handle. Thomas was bestowed with the Dronacharya Award in 2001.
Mint
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Former national shooting coach Sunny Thomas dies at 84
Former national shooting coach and Dronacharya awardee Sunny Thomas passed away at his residence in Uzhavoor on Wednesday following a brief illness, family sources said. He was 84. Thomas, who played a crucial role in elevating Indian shooting on the global stage, served as the coach of the national shooting team for 19 years, from 1993 to 2012. A college professor by profession, Thomas was a five-time state shooting champion and a national champion in 1976. During his tenure as coach, the Indian shooting team won numerous medals in international events, including the Olympics, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games. He also coached many Olympic medalists from India. In recognition of his contributions, he was honoured with the Dronacharya Award in 2001. Thomas is survived by his wife and two children. People from various walks of life, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, have condoled the demise of Thomas. With his passing, the Indian shooting community has lost a coach who gave it direction, the CM said in his condolence message. "India performed best in shooting at the Olympics and World Championships when Sunny Thomas was the head coach," he recalled. Although the country did not have a significant legacy in shooting, Thomas became a world-renowned coach through his sheer dedication and willpower, he added. Olympian Abhinav Bindra expressed deep sorrow over Thomas's demise. "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," he wrote 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," he added. First Published: 30 Apr 2025, 11:02 PM IST
United News of India
30-04-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
Veteran shooting coach Sunny Thomas dies
New Delhi, Apr 30 (UNI) India's longest-serving national shooting coach Sunny Thomas died on Wednesday in Kottayam, Kerala, following a cardiac arrest, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) confirmed. Thomas, a former NRAI Vice-President, was 84. He is survived by his wife KJ Josamma and three children — Manoj Sunny, Sanil Sunny and Sonia Sunny. A pioneering figure in Indian sports, Prof Thomas served as India's national shooting coach from 1993 to 2012. During this period, he transformed the landscape of Indian shooting and laid the foundation for the country's emergence as a global powerhouse in the sport. Under his guidance, Indian shooters achieved landmark success on the Olympic stage. These included Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore's silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, Abhinav Bindra's historic gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics — India's first individual Olympic gold — and the twin podium finishes at London 2012, where Vijay Kumar won silver and Gagan Narang bagged bronze. Prof Thomas was honoured with the Dronacharya Award in 2001 for his outstanding contribution to Indian shooting — becoming the first coach in the discipline to receive the prestigious recognition. In a statement, the NRAI said, "Prof Sunny Thomas' contribution to the promotion and development of shooting in India is unparalleled. He laid the foundation for India's success in the sport and mentored some of the nation's finest shooters.' Tributes poured in from across the shooting fraternity, many of whom credited him as the architect of their careers. Bindra said, "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." Narang, bronze medallist at the 2012 London Olympics, described Thomas as the "lighthouse of Indian shooting." He held the sport together in its initial days when it was growing… a lot of shooters, including me, owe their success to him,' Narang said. NRAI President Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo called his demise an irreplaceable loss: "This is a void which Indian shooting will find very difficult to fill. 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." Known for his discipline, scientific training methods, and deep commitment, Prof Thomas introduced a structured approach to coaching at a time when the sport was still developing in India. Even after his formal retirement, he remained a respected mentor and advisor to the shooting community. His passing marks the end of an era in Indian shooting and is deeply mourned by the sporting fraternity. UNI BDN SSP
Hindustan Times
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
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.
