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