Apr 30, 2025 10:06 PM IST
Former India capturing coach Prof Sunny Thomas, mentor to stars like Abhinav Bindra, handed away at 83, leaving a big legacy within the sport.
New Delhi: Former India capturing coach, Prof Sunny Thomas, who mentored many prime shooters together with Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra and pistol ace Jaspal Rana, died in Uzhavoor, Kerala on Wednesday. He was 83.
Sunny Thomas. (Raninder Singh/X)
An English professor who turned nationwide capturing coach, the Dronacharya awardee was a wonderful mentor who held the submit for 19 years from 1993, a part that noticed the rise of two of India’s brightest teenage capturing abilities. Bindra turned India’s first particular person Olympic champion at 2008 Beijing in 10m air rifle and Rana gained a number of Asian Video games and Commonwealth Video games gold medals. It was throughout his tenure that Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore gained double entice silver on the 2004 Athens Video games to finish the await India’s first Olympic capturing 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 mentioned: “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.”
Taking pictures federation (NRAI) president, Kalikesh Singh Deo, mentioned: “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 nationwide rifle coach, Deepali Deshpande, mentioned: “Prof Thomas played a very important role in building the foundation for shooting sport.”
He’s survived by his spouse, two sons and a daughter.
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