Malcolm Cooper

Malcolm Douglas Cooper, MBE, (20 December 1947 – 9 June 2001) was a British sport shooter and founder of Accuracy International. Competing in ISSF 50metre and 300metre rifle events, he dominated his events for several years, becoming the first shooter to win the Olympic 50metre 3-Position rifle event twice. He held or shared 5 World Records in 300metre 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, a Naval Training Establishment at Fareham in Hampshire, alongside Andy (Dusty) Miller, the 1968 Far East Services Small-bore Individual Champion. He qualified to join the British Free Rifle Club in 1969 and was selected for the British team to the 1972 Summer Olympics where he placed 12th in the 300 metre 3- Position Rifle event and 18th in the 50 metre 3-Position Rifle.

After disappointing results at the 1974 World Shooting Championships and 1976 Summer Olympics, he had taken the decision to retire, until an interaction with Lones Wigger during a clinic held by the United States Army Marksmanship Unit in England inspired him to continue.

In 1977, Cooper won the European Championships in both 50metre and 300metre Three-Position events, with his 300metre Standing score equalling the World Record.

Having won most of his matches in 1980, the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott prevented Cooper from competing in Moscow, where he was a favourite to medal.

Cooper was the first shooter to win two consecutive gold medals in the Olympic 50 metre rifle three positions event, a feat which stood unrivalled for 28 years until the 2016 Rio Olympics, when Italian shooter Niccolò Campriani matched the record by successfully defending his three position title from the 2012 London Olympics.

Cooper won gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul (both in the three positions event). 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 - by then a non-Olympic rifle discipline in which he claimed several European and World titles, as well as holding the World record for a period.

Cooper won twelve Commonwealth Games medals; four gold medals, five silver medals and three bronze medals and represented England at four Games from 1974 until 1990.

Personal life
Cooper was born in 1947 in Camberley and learned to shoot whilst attending the Royal Hospital School at Holbrook in Suffolk, UK before his family moved to New Zealand where he attended Westlake Boys High School and learned the art of shooting small bore rifles. His father, who was in the Royal Navy was drafted there: He started shooting competitively in 1970. In 1978 he co-founded rifle making company Accuracy International. 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, West Sussex.