Michael Diamond is the new Trap World Champion

Today’s Diamond mirrored the 2000 Diamond. Seven years ago, the Australian shooter became the Olympic Champion in Sydney. In that year, here in Nicosia, he also won the World Cup Final in Trap. Today, back on the Cypriot range, he wins again, with an outstanding record-breaking score of 148 hits.

The two times Olympic champion Michael Diamond of Australia, 35, is the Trap World Champion for the fourth time. His record score of 148 targets lifted him upon the highest step of the ISSF World Championships six years after his last title won in Cairo 2001. A score of 148 hits that shattered the previous World Record of 147 set by the Russian Alexey Alipov in Belgrade in July, 2005. A score of 148 targets that brought to Australia the second Olympic Quota Place in this event.

This extraordinary success left the audience breathless, even as Diamond’s great performance was announced after the morning’s qualifications, where the Australian Champion had scored an outstanding 143. During the final round, he had to face the German shooter Karsten Bindrich, who had entered the match with a target of advantage. While Bindrich missed five targets, sliding down in the placements, Diamond struggled right to the end against the Irish shooter Phillip Murphy. Murphy, tied to this extraordinary Diamond, fell on the last five targets missing three clays, putting himself in second.

This gold signed a great comeback for the Australian athlete, who has not had an ISSF podium finish since the World Cup Changwon 2005. Behind him, the 49-year old Phillip Murphy won silver, while Bindrich, who had won the 2003 edition of the World Championship held here in Nicosia, ended his final in third place with a total score of 144 targets.

Michael is a member of the Australian International Shooting Limited 27-person team in Cyprus, which is supported by the Australian Sports Commission.

This final also was a display of strength of the Kuwait team, who entered in the round two shooters, Naser Meqlad and Khaled Almudhaf, both qualified with a score of 143 targets.