Shooting coach calls it quits

India's long-time shooting coach Sunny Thomas will resign after returning home from a poor showing by his highly rated squad at the Asian Games.

"I don't want to continue any more," Thomas, 69, told Indian reporters on Friday. "I have been around for 17 years. Age is catching up with me and I want to do other things.

"All things considered, it is time to say goodbye."

Thomas said he was disappointed that India failed to win a gold medal in the pistol and rifle events in Guangzhou after pistol shooter Jaspal Rana picked up three titles in Doha four year ago.

"Our shooters are very talented and they put in a lot of hard work during training. Unfortunately, the results were not up to our expectations."

India won three silver and two bronze medals.

Thomas' most memorable moment in his long career as coach came when air rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra became India's first and only individual Olympic champion in Beijing two years ago.

China Daily

(China Daily 11/20/2010)