Australian Clay Target Association logo

Russell Mark

Russell Mark Birth year:  
1964
ACTA Club:  
 
Preferred Discipline:  
 
Age Started Clay Target Shooting:  
 
Years Clay Target Shooting:  
 
Shooting Achievements:

Year inducted into the ACTA Hall of Fame: 2009

Born 25 February 1964 in Hoppers Crossing, Victoria, Australia. 

Olympic Games
Olympic Gold medal - 1996 Atlanta in Double Trap
Olympic Silver medal - 2000 Sydney in Double Trap
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal - 2006 Melboburne in Double Trap
Bronze medal - 2010 Delhi in Double Trap

Russell has competed at six Olympic Games 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2008 and 2012. With his win in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, Russell became the first shotgun shooter in the history of the sport to win all four of the worlds major individual titles: World Cup, World Cup Final, World Championship and Olympic Games. After the Sydney Olympics in 2000, he completed the set of silver medals in all four majors as well.

Russell is a dual World individual Champion (1994, 1994) and dual World team Champion (1998, 1999). He won individual World Cup gold medals in Los Angeles, USA (1991) this was the first ever World cup individual gold medal by an Australian in any shooting discipline, Lonato, Italy (1992), Munich, Germany (1994), Lima, Peru (1999), Sydney, Australia (2000) and Perth, Australia (2003). At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne he won the gold medal in the men's Double Trap.

In August 2007, in Munich, Germany, the International Shooting Sports Federation inducted him into its Hall of Fame as the greatest Double Trap shooter of all time. In 1997 Russell was honoured with the Order of Australia medal for his services to sport.

As well as Russell's six Olympic appearances he has also contested a total of six Commonwealth Games 1990, 1994, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014. He competed in the open individual ISSF World Championships on 22 occasions. This is a record for any Australian shotgun athlete. Russell retired from international competition at the 2014 ISSF World Championship in Spain.

Throughout Russell's shooting career, his achievements are extensive and just to name a few, he was the first to achieve a break over 1,000 targets in September 1992 at Tamworth, NSW. He finished the competition with 1177 hits in a row breaking the Australian record set by himself in January 1992 of 859 targets. In 1997 he won the men's Double Trap World Championship in Peru with a new World Record. Russell is also a well known professional coach.

When Russell was inducted into the Australian Clay Target Association's Trap Hall of Fame, he was the youngest ever inductee at the age of 45 years.

Other Interests:  
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May 2025 CTSN

On the cover: Alex Smith of New Zealand, Overall National High Gun at the 2025 ACTA National Skeet Championships.

Inside this month's edition

ACTA Chairman's Report
ACTA National Skeet Championships
2025 State Teams
Gold and Silver for Australia – Penny Smith, Mitch Iles
Waratah Notes
Bendigo Ticked all the Boxes
Break Badges
ACTA New Members
An Ode from the Phantom
Southwest Blue Manna Carnival
Shooting Australia Confirms 2025 Categorised Athletes
Shooting Australia World Cup Teams
Psychological Skills for Shooting
NSW State Sporting Clays and Sportrap Championships
Northern Zone Sporting Championship – Silkwood
Competition Results: VCTA 71, TCTA 74, QCTA 74, WACTA 80, NSWCTA 80, SACTA
ACTA Coaching Contact
100 Target Compak Championship to Robbie Hall
Atherton Hosts Northern Zone Ladies Coaching Clinic
Annual 2 Day Shoot at Burdekin
Shoot Calendar
Great Day at Bega
2025 Annual Registration & Club Membership Application


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This month's CTSN

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