Dane Sampson has had an excellent month on the national and international circuit. Here's a bit more about one of Australia’s up and coming rifle shooters.

You have had a good last month of shooting, with a PQS at the AISL Grand Prix and at the World Cup in Munich. This must give you some good confidence?

The first PQS at the GP in Sydney was more of a relief than anything. Straight after the comp, I just thought "about time" because I had done it in training many times! In Munich, shooting the PQS was a definite confidence-boost and the PB in 3P was a nice finish to the week.

How much does it help you to be around some of the more experienced shooters such as Warren Potent?

It was good travelling with Robyn and Warren. They have done the trip many times before, which meant I didn't need to worry anything and just followed them. Of course having them around with their experience is handy, though I do like to experience things myself. I find it's the best way to learn.

2010 seems to have only just ended but the New Year is off and running at a frantic pace. What was your highlight of 2010?

My highlight was definitely the World Championships in Munich. I was pretty happy with how I went there, to finish equal 8^th was a lot higher than I would have expected. I know I could have hit a few more targets than I actually finished with, but knowing that gave me a reason to try harder this year, and hopefully better my performance.

Shooting a PQS in Melbourne was also a huge surprise for me. Overall 2010 was a pretty good year for my shooting.