It was in the late 1990s that I first met Professor Sunny Thomas. Honestly, I don’t remember where exactly. I was told he was India’s national shooting coach and was doing a great job with our athletes. As someone who had interest in multisport coverage, I had asked him if we would ever have a chance at the Olympics. He said in 10 years, India will win many medals. I did not believe him. The truth is, India did not win many medals at the Olympics. We won 1 in 2004, 1 in 2008, 2 in 2012, none in 2016 and 2021 and 3 in 2024. But the truth is also that the ceiling has been broken. We now have close to 50 shooters who can win at the international level, and Thomas deserves a lot of credit for starting the journey in earnest.
As an educator, he was Professor Sunny Thomas, who knew the students’ mindset. He knew what he had to do with them and to them to get the best out of them. Be it Abhinav Bindra or Gagan Narang or Samaresh Jung, Professor Thomas played a stellar hand in moulding every major shooting career in India. As an administrator, Vice-President of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), he made a significant contribution. In sum, it is a very rich legacy that he has left behind. Indian shooting is now in very safe hands and the talent is there for all to see. Professor Thomas will be smiling away seeing his own legacy. Rest in peace, Sir, your contribution will never be forgotten.
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