# Malcolm Cooper > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Malcolm_Cooper > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Malcolm_Cooper.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Cooper > Source revision: 1343630331 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|British sports shooter (1947–2001)}} {{for|the Indigenous Australian footballer|Malcolm Cooper (footballer)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Malcolm Cooper | birth_name = | fullname = | nickname = Cooperman | nationality = | national_team = {{unbulleted list|Great Britain|England}} | residence = | birth_date = {{birth date|1947|12|20|df=yes}} | birth_place = [Camberley](/source/Camberley), [Surrey](/source/Surrey), England | death_date = {{death date and age|2001|6|9|1947|12|20|df=yes}} | death_place = Eastergate, West Sussex, England | height = | weight = | website = | country = | sport = [Sports shooting](/source/Shooting_sport) | event = {{unbulleted list|[ISSF 50 meter rifle three positions](/source/ISSF_50_meter_rifle_three_positions)|[300 m rifle three positions](/source/300_m_rifle_three_positions)}} | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's [shooting](/source/Shooting_sport)}} {{MedalCountry | {{GBR2}} }} {{MedalCount | [Olympic Games](/source/Olympic_Games) | 2 | - | - | [World Shooting Championships](/source/World_Shooting_Championships) | 7 | 4 | 4 | [ISSF World Cup](/source/ISSF_World_Cup) | 1 | 1 | 2 | [European Shooting Championships](/source/European_Shooting_Championships) | 14 | 5 | 2 }} {{MedalOlympic}} {{MedalGold | [1984 Los Angeles](/source/1984_Summer_Olympics) | [50 m Rifle 3 Positions](/source/Shooting_at_the_1984_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_50_metre_rifle_three_positions)}} {{MedalGold | [1988 Seoul](/source/1988_Summer_Olympics) | [50 m Rifle 3 Positions](/source/Shooting_at_the_1988_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_50_metre_rifle_three_positions)}} {{Medal|Competition|[World Championships](/source/ISSF_World_Shooting_Championships)}} {{MedalGold | 1978 Seoul| 300 m Standing 40 shots}} {{MedalGold | 1986 Skövde | 300 m Rifle prone}} {{MedalGold | 1986 Skövde | 300 m Standard Rifle}} {{MedalGold | 1986 Skövde | 300 m Prone 40 shots}} {{MedalGold | 1986 Skövde | 300 m Standing 40 shots}} {{MedalGold | 1990 Moscow | 300 m Kneeling 40 shots}} {{MedalGold | 1990 Moscow | 300 m Rifle 3 Positions}} {{MedalSilver | 1978 Seoul | 50 m Rifle 3 Positions}} {{MedalSilver | 1982 Caracas | 300 m Rifle prone}} {{MedalSilver | 1986 Suhl | 50 m Rifle 3 Positions}} {{MedalSilver | 1986 Skovede | 300 m Rifle 3 Positions}} {{MedalBronze | 1978 Seoul | 300 m Standard Rifle}} {{MedalBronze | 1982 Caracas | 300 m Rifle 3 Positions}} {{MedalBronze | 1982 Caracas | 300 m Kneeling 40 shots}} {{MedalBronze | 1990 Moscow | 300 m Standard Rifle}} {{MedalCountry | {{ENG}} }} {{MedalCount | [Commonwealth Games](/source/Commonwealth_Games) | 4 | 5 | 3 }} | show-medals = yes }} '''Malcolm Douglas Cooper''', [MBE](/source/Member_of_the_Most_Excellent_Order_of_the_British_Empire), (20 December 1947 – 9 June 2001) was a British [sport shooter](/source/shooting_sports) and founder of [Accuracy International](/source/Accuracy_International). Competing in [ISSF](/source/International_Shooting_Sport_Federation) 50-metre and 300-metre rifle events, he dominated his events for several years, becoming the first shooter to win the [Olympic](/source/Olympics) 50-metre three-position rifle event twice. He held or shared five [world record](/source/world_record)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](/source/HMS_Collingwood), a naval training establishment at Fareham in Hampshire, alongside Andy (Dusty) Miller, the 1968 Far East Services [small-bore](/source/small-bore) 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](/source/1972_Summer_Olympics), where he finished 12th in the [300 m three-position rifle](/source/300_m_rifle_three_positions) event and 18th in the [50 m three-position rifle](/source/ISSF_50_meter_rifle_three_positions).{{Cite magazine |title=Olympic Gold Medalist Malcolm Cooper, Part 1 |magazine=NRA InSights |url=https://www.ssusa.org/content/olympic-gold-medalist-malcolm-cooper-part-1/ |publisher=National Rifle Association of America |year=1989 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006063813/https://www.ssusa.org/content/olympic-gold-medalist-malcolm-cooper-part-1/ |archive-date=2022-10-06 |url-status=live}} After disappointing results at the 1974 [World Shooting Championships](/source/World_Shooting_Championships) and 1976 Summer Olympics, he made the decision to retire, until an interaction with [Lones Wigger](/source/Lones_Wigger) during a clinic held by the [United States Army Marksmanship Unit](/source/United_States_Army_Marksmanship_Unit) 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](/source/1980_Summer_Olympics_boycott) prevented Cooper from competing in [Moscow](/source/Moscow), 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](/source/50_metre_rifle_three_positions) event, a feat which stood unrivalled for twenty-eight years until the [2016 Rio Olympics](/source/Shooting_at_the_2016_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_50_metre_rifle_three_positions), when Italian shooter [Niccolò Campriani](/source/Niccol%C3%B2_Campriani) matched the record by successfully defending his three-position title from the [2012 London Olympics](/source/Shooting_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_50_metre_rifle_three_positions).{{cite web |author1=Tom Chesshyre |title=Faulds shoulders the burden of expectation |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/faulds-shoulders-the-burden-of-expectation-1329589.html |website=Independent |publisher=Independent News & Media |accessdate=25 February 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225134347/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/faulds-shoulders-the-burden-of-expectation-1329589.html |archivedate=25 February 2019 |date=20 July 1996}} Cooper won gold medals in the three-positions event at the [1984 Summer Olympics](/source/1984_Summer_Olympics) in [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles) and at the [1988 Summer Olympics](/source/1988_Summer_Olympics) in [Seoul](/source/Seoul).{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/malcolm-cooper-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417235903/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/malcolm-cooper-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Malcolm Cooper |accessdate=12 February 2016 |work=Sports Reference}} 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.{{cite web |author1=Malcolm Cooper |author1-link=Malcolm Cooper |title=Shooter's Diary: Contingency Planning |url=https://www.ssusa.org/content/shooter-s-diary-contingency-planning/ |website=Shooting Sports USA |publisher=National Rifle Association of America |access-date=15 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520163308/https://www.ssusa.org/content/shooter-s-diary-contingency-planning/ |archive-date=20 May 2022 |date=25 April 2017 |url-status=live}} Between the Olympics, Cooper became World Champion at the [1982 World Shooting Championships](/source/1982_World_Shooting_Championships) in [300 m Standard Rifle](/source/300_m_Standard_Rifle), by then a non-Olympic rifle discipline in which he claimed several European and world titles and held the world record for a period.{{cn|date=January 2025}} Cooper represented England at four [Commonwealth Games](/source/Commonwealth_Games) between 1974 and 1990, winning twelve medals: four gold, five silver, and three bronze.{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/christchurch-1974|title=1974 Games|website=Team England}}{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/brisbane-1982/athletes|title=1982 Athletes|website=Team England}}{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/edinburgh-1986/athletes|title=1986 Athletes|website=Team England}}{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/auckland-1990/athletes|title=1990 Athletes|website=Team England}}{{cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/50835|title=Athletes, 1974 England team|website=Team England|access-date=13 September 2019|archive-date=3 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903053537/https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/50835|url-status=dead}} ==Personal life== Cooper was born in 1947 in [Camberley](/source/Camberley) and learned to shoot whilst attending the [Royal Hospital School](/source/Royal_Hospital_School)Richard Hide, house and shooting partner at RHS, Holbrook, UK 1959/60 at Holbrook in Suffolk, UK before his family moved to New Zealand where he attended [Westlake Boys High School](/source/Westlake_Boys_High_School) and learned the art of shooting [small bore rifles](/source/50_metre_rifle_three_positions). His father, who was in the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) was drafted there. Cooper started shooting competitively in 1970. In 1978 he co-founded rifle making company [Accuracy International](/source/Accuracy_International).{{cite web |author1=Alan Tovey |title=The company behind the rifle used by the world's deadliest sniper |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/defence/10762782/Accuracy-International-the-gun-maker-of-choice-for-Britains-elite-marksmen.html |website=The Telegraph |publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited |accessdate=25 February 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926130954/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/defence/10762782/Accuracy-International-the-gun-maker-of-choice-for-Britains-elite-marksmen.html |archivedate=26 September 2018 |date=2 February 2015}} He married [Sarah Robinson](/source/Sarah_Cooper_(sport_shooter)) in 1974.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/jun/15/guardianobituaries.sport|title=Malcolm Cooper obituary|website=The Guardian|date=15 June 2001 |last1=Hicks |first1=Peter }} Cooper died in June 2001 after an eight-month battle with cancer. He died at his home in [Eastergate](/source/Eastergate), [West Sussex](/source/West_Sussex).{{cite news |title=Obituaries - Malcolm Cooper |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1308753/Malcolm-Cooper.html |accessdate=25 February 2019 |publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited |date=12 June 2001 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130421121957/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1308753/Malcolm-Cooper.html |archivedate=21 April 2013 |url-status=live }} ==See also== * [Alister Allan](/source/Alister_Allan) * [Barry Dagger](/source/Barry_Dagger) * [Sarah Cooper](/source/Sarah_Cooper_(sport_shooter)) ==References== {{cite journal |editor1-last=Robertson |editor1-first=Karen |title=Malcolm Cooper MBE |journal=NRA Journal |date=Winter 2001 |volume=LXXX |issue=3 |page=81 |url=https://nra.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2001winter.pdf |access-date=2 November 2023 |publisher=[National Rifle Association](/source/National_Rifle_Association_(United_Kingdom)) |issn=0028-0070}} ==External links== *{{Sports links}} *[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1308753/Malcolm-Cooper.html The Telegraph: Obituary] {{Olympic Champions Shooting FR3X40}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Malcolm}} Category:1947 births Category:2001 deaths Category:Olympic shooters for Great Britain Category:British male sport shooters Category:ISSF rifle shooters Category:Shooters at the 1972 Summer Olympics Category:Shooters at the 1976 Summer Olympics Category:Shooters at the 1984 Summer Olympics Category:Shooters at the 1988 Summer Olympics Category:English Olympic competitors Category:Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain Category:Sportspeople from Camberley Category:People educated at Westlake Boys High School Category:Olympic medalists in shooting Category:People educated at the Royal Hospital School Category:Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Category:Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Category:Shooters at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games Category:Shooters at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Category:Shooters at the 1986 Commonwealth Games Category:Shooters at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in shooting Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists in shooting Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in shooting Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England Category:20th-century English businesspeople Category:Medallists at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Category:Medallists at the 1986 Commonwealth Games Category:Medallists at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:Winners of the Earl Roberts Memorial Challenge Cup Category:World champions in shooting Category:European champions in shooting --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Malcolm Cooper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Cooper) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Cooper?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.