Michael Diamond (sport shooter)

Michael Diamond

Personal information
Born	20 May 1972 Sydney, New South Wales
Height	174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	75 kg (165 lb)
Sport
Club	Newcastle-Lake Macquarie
Medal record Representing  Australia Men's shooting Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta Trap 2000 Sydney Trap Commonwealth Games 1998 Kuala Lumpur Trap 2002 Manchester Trap 2002 Manchester Trap pairs 2006 Melbourne Trap pairs 2010 Delhi Trap pairs 1998 Kuala Lumpur Trap pairs 2002 Manchester Double trap pairs 2010 Delhi Trap
Updated on 4 October 2015.

Michael Constantine Diamond, OAM (born 20 May 1972)^[1] is a professional target shooter from Australia.

Career

His father, Con, managed a gun club and was a sporting shooter himself and introduced Michael to the sport at the age of eight.^[2]

Mastering the shotgun, Diamond succeeded in winning the Olympic gold medal for trap consecutively in Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000,^[3] becoming the second men's trap shooter to have done so. He held the world record in double trap, and held the final world record in trap between 2007 and 2008. Diamond is of Greek heritage. In 1997, he changed his surname from Diamontopoulos to Diamond.

Diamond won the trap event at the 2007 World Shotgun Championships. He was selected to compete in his sixth Olympic Games in London .^[4] At the end of the qualification period, he was leading with an Olympic record of 125/125, but ended up finishing fourth overall, losing to Fehaid Aldeehani of Kuwait in a bronze Medal shoot-out.

In 2016, Diamond was charged with firearms offences and drink driving following an alleged domestic dispute involving his brother.^[5] Due to the charges, which resulted in an automatic suspension of his firearms licence under Australian law, Diamond was ruled ineligible for nomination for the 2016 Rio Olympic games by the Australian Olympic Committee.^[6]

Personal life

Born in Goulburn, New South Wales, Diamond married Cathy and together they had two daughters.^[2]

Olympic results

Event	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012
Trap (mixed)	11th 147+46	Not held
Trap (men)	Not held	Gold 124+25	Gold 122+25	8th 119	4th 119+23	4th 125+20
Double trap (men)	Not held	—	9th 135	—	—	—

References

1. Toby Creswell and Samantha Trenoweth (2006). 1001 Australians You Should Know. Australia: Pluto Press. p. 422. ISBN 9781864033618.
2. https://www.olympic.org/michael-diamond
3. "Hunter Olympian Profiles". Newcastle Herald. Fairfax Media. 4 August 2008. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
4. "Australian shooters named for London Olympics". 7 June 2012.
5. "Magistrate tells Michael Diamond he may miss Olympics". ABC News. 2016-06-07. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
6. "Criminal charges see Michael Diamond ruled out of Olympics". ABC News. 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2016-08-22.