SINGAPORE — Included in his curriculum vitae are two Olympic and five Commonwealth Games gold medals, three world titles and numerous World Cup wins.

Yet, as one of the world’s greatest shotgun shooters, Michael Diamond’s success formula is hardly rocket science, just discipline.

Scoring a coup, the Singapore Shooting Association (SSA) has engaged the services of the highly sought-after 41-year-old Australian to conduct coaching workshops for national shooters and coaches as part of its high performance programme to develop the sport here.

In a phone interview just hours after his arrival here yesterday, Diamond told TODAY that discipline, above all, is a must in becoming a successful world-class shooter.

“Discipline is a big key element, no matter the sport. If you don’t have discipline, the coaching will be a waste of time,” he said.

And that will be a key aspect of his workshops. The partnership with the SSA will see Diamond visit Singapore three to four times a year, up to two weeks each time, to share his knowledge and expertise with the national shotgun shooters.

But Diamond, a six-time Olympian and currently ranked eighth in the world, said: “I’d like to see myself more as a friend of the people whom I’m coaching, and I like it that way. They don’t look at me as the boss but as a friend.”

Brokering the arrangement was SSA President Michael Vaz. The former national shooter hopes having Diamond on board will help inspire the sport here to greater heights.

Already, the SSA, which has an annual operational expenditure of nearly S$1 million, have brought in former Australian national pistol coach Anatoly Babushkin and 1998 Asian Games champion Dina Aspandiyarova to train Singapore’s national men’s and women’s pistol shooters respectively.

“The plan we have to develop our rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines is to bring in the best (in the world) to share their knowledge with the shooters and coaches,” said Vaz. “It’s definitely a coup for a small country like Singapore to be able to work with him (Diamond).”

Although unfamiliar with how the sport is faring here, Diamond believes it will not impede the effectiveness of his coaching sessions.

“Some of those I’ll be working with are 13 to 14 years old, and they will be easiest to teach because they’re young, ambitious and anything you say to them, they will take on board,” he said.

Describing shooting as “not a complicated sport”, he added: “Being able to see the target and being ready when you’re calling for the target (is a common problem). A lot of people cannot put these two combinations together. Also, if the gun doesn’t fit you, you will have problems hitting the target repetitively.”

Diamond believes his stint here will also help launch his coaching career as he intends to retire from competitive shooting after the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

He also does not rule out the possibility of one day taking charge of Singapore’s national side.

He said: “I want to go into coaching, so there will be life after sport. So, this is a great opportunity for me to work with people.”