Malcolm Douglas Cooper, MBE, (20 December 1947 – 9 June 2001) was a British

sport shooter Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airguns, in forms such ...

and founder of

Accuracy International Accuracy International is a British firearms manufacturer based in Portsmouth, England. The company specializes in sniper rifles, anti-materiel rifles and civilian competition rifles. The company was founded in 1978 by a group of individual ...

. Competing in ISSF 50-metre and 300-metre rifle events, he dominated his events for several years, becoming the first shooter to win the Olympic 50-metre three-position rifle event twice. He held or shared five

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

s in 300-metre rifle events.

Sports shooting career

Cooper learned to shoot at school in the UK and New Zealand. He also shot and practised at

HMS Collingwood Three ships and one shore establishment of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Collingwood'', after Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood: * , an 80-gun second-rate ship of the line, converted to screw propulsion in 1861, a ...

, a naval training establishment at Fareham in Hampshire, alongside Andy (Dusty) Miller, the 1968 Far East Services

small-bore Small-bore refers to calibers with a diameter of or smaller. It may also refer to small-bore rifle competition. The medium-bore refers to calibers with a diameter between up to and large-bore refers to calibers with a diameter of or larger. Min ...

individual champion. He qualified to join the British Free Rifle Club in 1969. He was then selected for the British team to the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

, where he finished 12th in the 300 m three-position rifle event and 18th in the 50 m three-position rifle. After disappointing results at the 1974

World Shooting Championships The ISSF World Shooting Championships are governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation. World Shooting Championships began in 1897, after the successful Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics, 1896 Summer Olympics, and although the ISSF w ...

and 1976 Summer Olympics, he made the decision to retire, until an interaction with

Lones Wigger Lones Wesley Wigger Jr. (August 25, 1937, Great Falls, Montana – December 14, 2017, Colorado Springs, Colorado) was an American sports shooter. Wigger was a member of the United States Olympic team on three occasions, winning two Olympic Gold ...

during a clinic held by the

United States Army Marksmanship Unit The United States Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU or AMU) is a part of U.S. Army providing small arms marksmanship training for soldiers and enhancing Army recruiting. The unit was originally established in 1956 at the direction of President of the ...

in England inspired him to continue. In 1977, Cooper won the European Championships in both 50 m and 300 m three-position events, with his 300 m standing score equalling the world record. Having won most of his matches in 1980, the

1980 Summer Olympics boycott The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was the largest boycott in Olympic history and one part of a number of actions initiated by the United States to protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union, which hosted the 1980 Summ ...

prevented Cooper from competing in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, where he was a favourite to win a medal. Cooper was the first shooter to win two consecutive gold medals in the Olympic

50 metre rifle three positions 50 meter rifle three positions (formerly known as one of four free rifle disciplines) is an International Shooting Sport Federation event, a miniature version of 300 meter rifle three positions. It consists of the kneeling, prone, and standing ...

event, a feat which stood unrivalled for twenty-eight years until the

2016 Rio Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

, when Italian shooter

Niccolò Campriani Niccolò Campriani (born November 6, 1987) is an Italian sport shooter and shooting coach. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing in the men's 10 metre air rifle, men's small-bore rifle, three positions, 50 metres and men's small-bore ...

matched the record by successfully defending his three-position title from the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. Cooper won gold medals in the three-positions event at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. The 1988 victory came despite his rifle being seriously damaged two days before the match. Working with the USSR armourer, he repaired the stock in time to compete. Between the Olympics, Cooper became World Champion at the 1982 World Shooting Championships in

300 m Standard Rifle 300 m standard rifle is one of the ISSF shooting events. It is similar to 300 metre rifle three positions, 300 metre rifle but there are more restrictions on the rifle (quite similar to those in 10 metre air rifle). The course of fire is a three ...

, by then a non-Olympic rifle discipline in which he claimed several European and world titles and held the world record for a period. Cooper represented England at four

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

between 1974 and 1990, winning twelve medals: four gold, five silver, and three bronze.

Personal life

Cooper was born in 1947 in

Camberley Camberley is a town in north-west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. It is in the Surrey Heath, Borough of Surrey Heath and is close to the county boundaries with Hampshire and Berkshire. Known originally as "Cambridge Tow ...

and learned to shoot whilst attending the

Royal Hospital School The Royal Hospital School (also known as "RHS" and historically nicknamed "The Cradle of the Navy") is a British co-educational fee-charging international boarding and day school with naval traditions. The school admits pupils aged 11 to 18 ...

at Holbrook in Suffolk, UK before his family moved to New Zealand where he attended

Westlake Boys High School Westlake Boys High School () is a state secondary school for boys in Forrest Hill, New Zealand, Forrest Hill, Auckland, New Zealand. The school opened in 1962, when Westlake High School (opened 1958) split into Westlake Girls High School on the ...

and learned the art of shooting small bore rifles. His father, who was in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

was drafted there: He started shooting competitively in 1970. In 1978 he co-founded rifle making company

. He married Sarah Robinson in 1974. Cooper died in June 2001 after an eight-month battle with cancer. He died at his home in

Eastergate Eastergate is a village, ecclesiastical parish and former civil parish, now in the parish of Barnham and Eastergate, in the Arun District, Arun district of West Sussex, England. It is located five miles (8 km) east of Chichester. In 2011 t ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

References

External links

*
The Telegraph: Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Malcolm 1947 births 2001 deaths Olympic shooters for Great Britain British male sport shooters ISSF rifle shooters Shooters at the 1972 Summer Olympics Shooters at the 1976 Summer Olympics Shooters at the 1984 Summer Olympics Shooters at the 1988 Summer Olympics English Olympic competitors Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain Sportspeople from Camberley People educated at Westlake Boys High School Olympic medalists in shooting People educated at the Royal Hospital School Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Shooters at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games Shooters at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Shooters at the 1986 Commonwealth Games Shooters at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists in shooting Commonwealth Games silver medallists in shooting Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in shooting Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England 20th-century English businesspeople Medallists at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 1986 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Members of the Order of the British Empire Winners of the Earl Roberts Memorial Challenge Cup World champions in shooting European champions in shooting

Sports shooting career

Personal life

See also

References

External links