Wikipedia

Michael Diamond (sport shooter)

This article is about the professional target shooter. For other people named Michael Diamond, see Michael Diamond (disambiguation).

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

Michael Diamond
Personal information
Birth nameMichael Constantine Diamánti (Diamond)
Born (1972-05-20) 20 May 1972 (age 52)
Sydney, New South Wales
Height174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight75 kg (165 lb)
Sport
ClubNewcastle-Lake Macquarie
Medal record
Men's shooting
Representing  Australia
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta Trap
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney Trap
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 1998 Kuala Lumpur Trap
Gold medal – first place 2002 Manchester Trap
Gold medal – first place 2002 Manchester Trap pairs
Gold medal – first place 2006 Melbourne Trap pairs
Gold medal – first place 2010 Delhi Trap pairs
Silver medal – second place 1998 Kuala Lumpur Trap pairs
Silver medal – second place 2002 Manchester Double trap pairs
Silver medal – second place 2010 Delhi Trap
Updated on 4 October 2015

Career

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Diamond was introduced to sport shooting at the age of eight by his father, Con, who was a sporting shooter and managed a gun club.[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 Diamantopoulos 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.

Diamond was ruled ineligible for nomination for the 2016 Rio Olympic games by the Australian Olympic Committee as his firearms licence had been suspended on grounds that were later rejected in court.[5][6]

Olympic results

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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 		— — —

Personal life

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Diamond was born in Goulburn, New South Wales. He is of Greek heritage. He married Cathy and together they had three daughters.[2]

In 2016, Diamond was charged with firearms offences and drink driving following an alleged domestic dispute involving his brother.[7] The charges resulted in the automatic suspension of his firearms licence under Australian law. Without a firearms licence, Diamond was ruled ineligible for nomination for the 2016 Rio Olympic games by the Australian Olympic Committee.[5] A court later quashed these convictions on appeal, questioning the legality of the police search and rejected claims by the prosecution that the firearms were not kept safe.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Toby Creswell and Samantha Trenoweth (2006). 1001 Australians You Should Know. Australia: Pluto Press. p. 422. ISBN 9781864033618.
  2. ^ a b "Michael DIAMOND | Olympics.com".
  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. Archived from the original on 27 March 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Criminal charges see Michael Diamond ruled out of Olympics". ABC News. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Olympic gold medallist Michael Diamond acquitted of firearms convictions". ABC News. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  7. ^ "Magistrate tells Michael Diamond he may miss Olympics". ABC News. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
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