Key Takeaways
- Sunny Thomas, India’s legendary shooting coach and Dronacharya Award winner, passed away at 84 after transforming the nation into a shooting powerhouse.
- Before coaching Olympic medalists, Thomas was an English professor and national champion shooter himself.
- He is survived by his wife, Prof. Josamma, and three children who continue his academic and athletic excellence legacy.
India is mourning the loss of one of its most influential sports mentors, Sunny Thomas.
The former national shooting coach and Dronacharya Award winner passed away on Wednesday morning at his residence in Uzhavoor following a brief illness. He was 84.
While his name is familiar with the rise of Indian shooting on the global stage, many also knew him as the devoted husband of Prof. K.J. Josamma, the head of the Botany Department at St. Stephen’s College, Uzhavoor.
The couple was highly respected in academic and sporting circles alike.
Sunny Thomas Was A Married Man With Kids
Before devoting his life to sports, Sunny Thomas was a professor of English at St. Stephen’s College, where his wife, Prof. Josamma, also taught.
Their shared passion for education and mentorship laid the foundation for a fulfilling life dedicated to nurturing young minds and future champions.
Together, they raised three children: Manoj Sunny and Sanil Sunny, former state-level shooting champions, and their daughter, Sonia Sunny.
The family’s achievements reflect a deep commitment to both academic and athletic excellence.
The Coach Who Changed Indian Shooting Forever
Sunny Thomas’ coaching journey began after he retired from teaching in 1993.
Over the next 19 years (1993–2012), he helped position India as a shooting powerhouse, mentoring a generation of athletes who brought the country international acclaim.
Deeply saddened by the demise of Prof. Sunny Thomas — former Vice President of @OfficialNRAI , long-serving National Coach, and the first Dronacharya Awardee in Shooting.
— Raninder Singh (@RaninderSingh) April 30, 2025
His remarkable contribution to the sport and its promotion in India will always be remembered. pic.twitter.com/jaJE6Q3ZVL
Professor Sunny Thomas’s remarkable coaching legacy includes protégés like Major Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Olympic silver, 2004), Abhinav Bindra (Olympic gold, 2008), Vijay Kumar (Olympic silver, 2012), and Gagan Narang (Olympic bronze, 2012).
Under his leadership, India’s shooting teams claimed 29 Asian Games medals, 95 Commonwealth Games medals, and around 50 World Shooting Championships medals.
His foresight in the late 1990s, when he predicted that India could break China’s shooting dominance, proved true in the following decade.
His pivotal role in that transformation earned him the Dronacharya Award in 2001, the highest coaching honor in India.
Sunny Thomas was not only a coach but also a formidable shooter.
He began shooting in 1965 at the Kottayam Rifle Club and won five state-level medals, including two golds.
In 1976, he was crowned national champion in Chennai’s Rifle 3 Position open-sight event.
A Legacy Remembered
Sunny Thomas was born on September 26, 1941, in Thidanad, Kottayam district, the son of Mekkattu K.K. Thomas and Mariyakutty.
His life journey from a college professor to India’s most respected shooting coach is a story of vision, determination, and selfless service.
His d*ath has left a deep void in the Indian sports community.
Tributes from Olympians, fellow coaches, and sports officials have poured in, hailing him not just as a master tactician but as a mentor who transformed lives.
Sunny Thomas’s wife, Prof. K.J. Josamma, his life partner of several decades, now carries forward his legacy with their children.
Rest in peace, Sunny Thomas! You helped build champions in the arena and in life.
