Russell Mark
Encyclopedia
Russell Andrew Mark, OAM
(born 25 February 1964 in Ballarat, Victoria
) is an Australian Trap
and Double Trap
shooter and Olympic Champion. He won the Olympic gold medal in Double Trap
at the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta. He also won a silver Olympic medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney. At the 2006 Commonwealth Games
in Melbourne, Russell won a gold medal in men's Double Trap. Russell is married to fellow Australian competition shooter Lauryn Mark
.
, World Cup Final
, World Championship
and Olympic Games
. After Sydney 2000, he completed the 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 1,177 targets in a row. This record still stands today.
In 1997 he was honoured with the Order of Australia Medal for Services to Sport and won the Men's Trap World Championship in Peru. He participated in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing
, where he finished 5th in Olympic Men's Double Trap.
at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
. Currently he is a regular with Red Symons on Melbourne's 774 ABC radio.
started a team building activity business in 2002 named Corporate Shooting Stars. Russell and Lauryn cater for all organisations that want to try clay target shooting as a team bonding activity. They also offer additional services such as coaching, bucks and hens parties and come and try days, ideal for all beginners who want to try the sport of clay target shooting.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 25 February 1964 in Ballarat, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
) is an Australian Trap
Trap shooting
Trap shooting is one of the three major forms of competitive clay pigeon shooting . The others are skeet shooting and sporting clays. There are many versions including Olympic trap, Double trap , Down-The-Line, and Nordic trap. American trap is most popular in the United States and Canada...
and Double Trap
Double Trap
Double trap is a clay pigeon shooting sport, one of the ISSF shooting events. Participants use a shotgun to attempt to break a clay disk flung away from the shooter at high speed....
shooter and Olympic Champion. He won the Olympic gold medal in Double Trap
Double Trap
Double trap is a clay pigeon shooting sport, one of the ISSF shooting events. Participants use a shotgun to attempt to break a clay disk flung away from the shooter at high speed....
at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta. He also won a silver Olympic medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney. At the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
in Melbourne, Russell won a gold medal in men's Double Trap. Russell is married to fellow Australian competition shooter Lauryn Mark
Lauryn Mark
Lauryn Mark is an Olympic Women's Skeet shooter from Australia. She finished fourth in Women's Skeet in the 2004 Summer Olympics and won three gold medals at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and the 2006 Commonwealth Games...
.
Competition Shooting Career
Russell’s career includes 2 World Championships, 5 World Cup Championships, and 2 World Team Championships as well as 34 Australian Championships. With his win in Atlanta in 1996 he became the first shotgun shooter in the history of the sport to win all four of the world major individual titles: World CupISSF World Cup
The ISSF World Cup was introduced by the International Shooting Sport Federation in 1986 to provide a homogeneous system for qualification to the Olympic shooting competitions. It still is carried out in the Olympic shooting events, with four competitions per year in each event...
, World Cup Final
ISSF World Cup
The ISSF World Cup was introduced by the International Shooting Sport Federation in 1986 to provide a homogeneous system for qualification to the Olympic shooting competitions. It still is carried out in the Olympic shooting events, with four competitions per year in each event...
, World Championship
ISSF World Cup
The ISSF World Cup was introduced by the International Shooting Sport Federation in 1986 to provide a homogeneous system for qualification to the Olympic shooting competitions. It still is carried out in the Olympic shooting events, with four competitions per year in each event...
and Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. After Sydney 2000, he completed the 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
Trap shooting
Trap shooting is one of the three major forms of competitive clay pigeon shooting . The others are skeet shooting and sporting clays. There are many versions including Olympic trap, Double trap , Down-The-Line, and Nordic trap. American trap is most popular in the United States and Canada...
competition he hit 1,177 targets in a row. This record still stands today.
In 1997 he was honoured with the Order of Australia Medal for Services to Sport and won the Men's Trap World Championship in Peru. He participated in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, where he finished 5th in Olympic Men's Double Trap.
| Olympic results | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 |
| Trap Olympic Trap Officially referred to only as trap, and also known in the United States as international trap, bunker trap, trench or international clay pigeon, the single-target Olympic trap shooting event has a history over a hundred years old... (mixed) |
15th Shooting at the 1988 Summer Olympics - Trap Trap was one of the thirteen shooting events at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Open to both men and women, it was decided by a shoot-off between Dmitri Monakov and Miloslav Bednařík, with Monakov emerging as the winner with 8–7.-Qualification round:... 144+47 |
9th Shooting at the 1992 Summer Olympics - Trap Trap was one of the thirteen shooting events at the 1992 Summer Olympics. It was the last Olympic trap competition open to both men and women. The competition consisted of a qualification round of 150 targets, a semifinal of 50 targets for the top 24 competitors, and a final of 25 targets for the... 144+49 |
Not held | |||
| Trap Olympic Trap Officially referred to only as trap, and also known in the United States as international trap, bunker trap, trench or international clay pigeon, the single-target Olympic trap shooting event has a history over a hundred years old... (men) |
Not held | 13th Shooting at the 1996 Summer Olympics - Men's trap Men's trap shooting was one of the fifteen shooting events at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Michael Diamond won, setting two new Olympic records, ahead of two Americans... 120 |
13th Shooting at the 2000 Summer Olympics - Men's trap -Qualification round:The qualification round comprised 75 targets on day 1, and 50 targets on day 2.Q Qualified for final- Final :... 113 |
— | — | |
| Double trap Double Trap Double trap is a clay pigeon shooting sport, one of the ISSF shooting events. Participants use a shotgun to attempt to break a clay disk flung away from the shooter at high speed.... (men) |
Not held | Gold Shooting at the 1996 Summer Olympics - Men's double trap Men's double trap shooting made its first appearance at the 1996 Summer Olympics, with Russell Mark becoming the inaugural champion after a strong final. Albano Pera and Zhang Bing won the other medals after a shoot-off with Park Chul-sung.-Qualification round:... 141+48 |
Silver Shooting at the 2000 Summer Olympics - Men's double trap -Qualification round:The qualification round consisted of 25 doubles in the A programme, 25 in the B programme, and 25 in the C programme.OR Olympic record – Q Qualified for final- Final :... 143+44 |
— | 5th 136+45 |
|
Media
Russell regularly hosts a weekly sports program on Melbourne's radio station 3AW and worked as commentator for Channel 9Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
1998 Commonwealth Games
The 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 11 September to 21 September 1998 making it the first Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for the 20th century. A record 70 nations supplied 3638 athletes...
. Currently he is a regular with Red Symons on Melbourne's 774 ABC radio.
Business Career
Russell and his wife LaurynLauryn Mark
Lauryn Mark is an Olympic Women's Skeet shooter from Australia. She finished fourth in Women's Skeet in the 2004 Summer Olympics and won three gold medals at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and the 2006 Commonwealth Games...
started a team building activity business in 2002 named Corporate Shooting Stars. Russell and Lauryn cater for all organisations that want to try clay target shooting as a team bonding activity. They also offer additional services such as coaching, bucks and hens parties and come and try days, ideal for all beginners who want to try the sport of clay target shooting.