Malcolm Cooper

Malcolm Cooper (born December 20, 1947, Camberley, Surrey, England—died June 9, 2001, Eastergate, West Sussex) was a British marksman who, at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, 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, he became the first athlete to win consecutive gold medals in that event.

Cooper shot competitively from 1970 through 1991. During that time he won more than 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.

In 1984 Cooper was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). After being diagnosed with a pituitary gland disorder in 1991, Cooper retired from competition and went into business designing target rifles. His company, Accuracy International, produced rifles for the British, Swedish, and German armies, and it was a recipient of the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement in 1998. Three years later Cooper died of cancer at the age of 53.

Britannica Quiz

The Olympics Quiz