Cooper, Malcolm

▪ 2002

      British marksman (b. Dec. 20, 1947, Camberley, Surrey, Eng.—d. June 9, 2001, Eastergate, West Sussex, Eng.), won consecutive Olympic gold medals in rifle shooting; he claimed his first gold in the small-bore rifle event at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles and successfully defended the title at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, S.Kor. Cooper was the first shooter ever to win consecutive gold medals in the event and the first British athlete since 1908 to win a rifle-shooting gold. Throughout the 1980s he dominated the sport; his achievements included winning individual gold medals in all five shooting events at the 1985 European championships in Zürich, Switz. A naval architect by profession, Cooper retired from competition in 1991 to concentrate on designing weapons for the British army.

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▪ British shooter

born December 20, 1947, Camberley, Surrey, England

died June 9, 2001, Eastergate, West Sussex

      English shooter who, at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, became the first Olympic competitor from Britain to win a gold medal for rifle shooting since the 1908 Games in London. Cooper earned his medal in the small-bore rifle (three positions) event. When he repeated at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, he became the first athlete to win consecutive gold medals in that event.

      Malcolm Cooper shot competitively from 1970 through 1991. During that time he won over 160 international medals, among them 13 European titles and 8 world titles. His proficiency helped lift the British shooting team to the top ranks of international competition in the 1970s and '80s. Cooper's achievements are especially noteworthy in that, while his Eastern Bloc and American opponents were generously sponsored, he was forced to work full-time to support both himself and his shooting avocation.

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