THE two biggest - or at least the two best - shots in Australian sport will almost certainly be taking aim at each other at next year's Olympics.

But until then, Russell Mark (pictured) and Michael Diamond have formed a pact to try to make sure that neither gets wounded by friendly fire.

In other words, even though the two Atlanta gold medallists expect to be competing head to head in both their specialities, the single and double trap clay target disciplines, they will train and prepare together.

"Now that we're rivals, we have to make sure it's a friendly rivalry and not a jealous rivalry, so that it is all about positives and not negatives," Mark said.

Diamond agreed, saying: "I believe it will be good for us. This sort of competition will only make us better."

The two marksmen achieved instant fame when they became Australia's first gold winners in Atlanta, Mark in the double trap, Diamond in the single.

Both have had such good results in both forms of the sport, and with no other major qualifying events to be held before the team is named in April, Mark says: "it is safe to assume we will each compete in both.

"It will be the first time this has ever happened in Australian shooting and is a bonus for the sport.

We've never had such an Opportunity on this scale and we're very mindful of the fact that when D-Day arrives we don't want it to appear that it is the be-all and end-all that we beat each other.

"We'll shake hands and hopefully we'll end up seeing each other on the medal dais.

"Until then we will work and train together and encourage each other as much as possible."

Mark and Diamond have travelled the world together for at least 12 years and have always been firm friends, rooming together in the Atlanta village.

The affinity they have came into play there when the pressure went on.

"Before the competition, I was feeling a bit hairy, very nervous," Diamond said. "I needed moral support from a guy I could talk to and Russell provided it. We went for an hour-long walk and he really calmed me down."

"At the standard we shoot, to have that level of support is really great and it reflects what I believe is great morale in the Australian shooting team in general. That's very important."

Mark agrees. "Other shooters are pushing up from behind us now and the great legacy for our sport from Atlanta is that the standard has increased enormously," he said.

"We have won the world teams championship for the last two years, which is a first. Ten years ago nobody in clay target shooting would ever have thought that could happen."

Mark now regards himself as a fulltime athlete, competing, training and doing coaching and promotional work.

That, however, is where the two champions differ.

Diamond, who is just about to begin the process of tuning himself mentally for the challenge ahead, intends to continue as he always has done - as very much a part-timer.

"I'll still train and compete only once or twice a month. I'm still an amateur and that works for me. It might mean that I'll never be as good as 1 might be, but I still do it for love," he said.