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Major International Results:
1991 World Cup Champion Los Angeles USA
1992 World Cup Champion Lonato Italy
1994 World Cup Final Champion Munich Germany
1994 World Champion Milan Italy
1996 Olympic Champion Atlanta USA
1997 World Champion Lima Peru
1998 World Team Champion Barcelona Spain
1999 World Cup Champion Lima Peru
1999 World Team Champion Tampere Finland
2000 World Cup Champion Sydney Australia
2000 Olympic Silver Sydney
2003
World Cup Champion Perth Australia
2006
Commonwealth Games Gold Medal Melbourne Australia
Summary:
Russell
Mark was one of
Australia
’s four Individual Gold Medallists at the 1996 Atlanta
Olympic Games, putting him in the company of Kieren
Perkins, Susie O’Neill and fellow Clay Target Shooter,
Michael Diamond. Competing in his third Olympic Games,
Russell won the Gold Medal in the Double Trap
Competition.
In
this ultimate test of hand to eye Co-ordination, the
Double Trap Competitor has .7 seconds in which to hit
two Clay Targets, ten centimetres in diameter, flying
away from the shooter at 100 kilometres per hour.
Russell won his Gold Medal by a record six targets from
his nearest rival.
Russell’s
career has included 34 Australian
Championships, his first coming as a 16 year old Junior.
With his win in
Atlanta
he became the first Shotgun Shooter in the history of
the sport to win all four of the World’s Major
Individual Title’s, The World Cup, The World Cup
Final, The World Championship and The Olympic Games.
Uniquely after
Sydney
he now has a complete set of silver medals in all four
majors as well.
In
October 1992, competing at a tournament in Tamworth
(NSW) Russell set an all time Australian Record for the
most Clay Targets hit in succession without missing.
Over the two day Trap Shooting Competition he hit an
incredible 1,177 targets in a row. This record needless
to say, has never been close to being broken.
In
1996 the Sportsmen’s Association of Australia voted
Russell Mark their Sportsperson of the Year. In 1997 he
was honoured with the Order of Australia Medal for
Services to Sport. Also in 1997, Russell backed up his
Olympic victory by winning the World Championship in
Peru
and equalling the World Record. This made him the only
Australian Gold Medallist from the Atlanta Olympics to
win a World Individual Championship in the following
year in any sport.
Since
his win in
Atlanta
he has been in high demand to demonstrate his
Marksmanship prowess around the globe. Amongst others,
Russell has coached Clay Target Shooting in the
United States
,
Japan
,
England
,
Korea
,
New Zealand
, The Philippines, Kuwait and even to a fellow competitor, The
Prince of Brunei.
Of
recent times Russell has been able to show his diverse
talents ranging from his media skills where he has
hosted a weekly sports program on
Melbourne
’s largest Radio Station, 3AW, he has worked as a
commentator for Channel 9 at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
and also wrote a regular column for the Olympic Club
Magazine. Currently he is a regular with Red Symons on
Melbourne
's 774 ABC Radio. He was a regular member of Channel 7's
Sportsworld program on Sunday mornings then crossed to
Channel 9 to become a panel member of Mick Malloy’s
“On any Given Sunday”. His administrative duties
included being the Master of Ceremonies and the
Australian Ambassador for the Telstra Small Business
Awards, a Board member for the Fosters Sports Foundation
and at the Sydney Olympics he was elected for a second
four year term on the Australian Olympic Committee’s
Athletes Commission. Currently Russell is on the
Executive Board of the Victorian Olympic Committee.
Russell’s
natural talent and style for public speaking has made
him one of
Australia
’s most sought and popular “after dinner” speakers
and Master of Ceremonies. His ability to both entertain
and motivate is unique compared to many of the
Nation’s Sporting Icons.
Competing
in his fifth Olympic Games, Russell made his third
Olympic Final, finishing in a credible 5th position.
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