Australian shooter Dane Sampson, four-time Olympian, has announced his retirement from international rifle competition.
Sampson began rifle shooting at age 12, later fulfilling his childhood dream of attending the Olympics, competing in the London 2012 Games.
“As long as I can remember, I always just wanted to go to the [Olympic] Games,” he said. “I can remember saying that to dad, even before I had started shooting.
“Shooting was really the only avenue that I could see to achieving that goal. I never thought of competing in any other sport because I had been in and around [shooting] my whole life.”
A testament to his unwavering persistence and dedication to his sport, Sampson made four consecutive Olympic appearances, one of only 12 Olympians at the Paris 2024 games to represent Australia at four separate Olympic Games.
He represented Australia at two Commonwealth Games, including the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, where he won a gold medal in the men’s 10m Air Rifle competition.
Reflecting on Sampson’s career success, National Rifle Coach Petr Kurka said, “While he aimed for Olympic success, his gold medal in the 10m Air Rifle at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on home soil is a remarkable achievement.”
At the 2018 World Championship Sampson shot a personal best of 1177 in the 3 Position Rifle event to become the only Australian to ever qualify for a World Championship final in that event.
Sampson’s continued success and approach to competing has earned him the admiration of both the shooting community and his fellow competitors.
“I always feel a lot of respect from the other athletes around the world,” he said. “Without those connections, I don’t think I would have been able to keep going for so long. But I certainly wouldn’t have had as much opportunity to progress technically and competitively.”
He emphasised that the connections and relationships that the sport facilitated were a highlight of his shooting career, with Sampson proposing to his Austrian-born partner and fellow rifle competitor, Nadine Ungerank, in January.
“I don’t think you can spend 26 years around a sport or community and not have developed some amazing relationships [through it]. I’m even marrying one of them!
“You could easily say that 50% of the close friends that I have were met through the sport. It’s not just through shooting, there are also connections through the [South Australian Sport Institute] as well as friends that are in other sports.”
After years of continued success and devotion to the sport, Sampson has now made the decision to retire from international competition.
“Now is the right time to step away,” he said. “My priorities are changing, and I would like to be able to support my fiancé more and just move onto the next part of life. I’ve been doing the same thing since I was 10. So it’s a good time to do something different.”
Whilst making the well thought out decision to step away from high-performance sport and international shooting, Sampson is looking forward to exploring other passions.
“My passion for furniture making is on the same level as shooting. The goal now is trying to build my business and become a master furniture maker.”
Despite stepping back, Sampson will maintain some involvement in the world of shooting, helping with the South Australian Sport Institute’s talent search as well as providing specialty coaching to the up-and-coming rifle shooting talent.
“I’ve got a lot of experience, and I’ve had plenty of tough times as an athlete, so I’m hoping that I can help some younger athletes, specifically, around keeping a positive perspective and staying motivated.”
Sampson is grateful for the immense support that he has received throughout his career.
“I would like to thank the community. I’ve had a lot of support from a lot of different people for a long time. I’d also specifically like to thank Shooting Australia and the South Australian Sports Institute; they’ve always been very supportive and easy to talk to if I had a problem.
“There is also a big, big thanks to Petr Kurka, my coach. I’m sure it wasn’t easy, but he never gave up on me, even if it looked like I was in a lull, so I’m incredibly appreciative to him for that.”
Reflecting on his fifteen years working with Sampson, Kurka said, “Dane will be missed in the team. His exemplary training ethic, discipline and immense desire to succeed have set a standard for our future shooting talents.
“Dane‘s offer to contribute to Australian shooting through coaching shows his commitment and character.
“I am honoured to have worked with him for so many years and to have been a part of his sporting journey. I hope he enjoys this next chapter in his personal life, which he has selflessly dedicated to sport for the past 15 years.”
Sampson also recognised the unwavering support of his parents, stating, “I’d like to thank my parents as well. They’ve been more supportive than I could’ve possibly hoped for. I really couldn’t have gone as far as I did without that support.”
Sampson’s parents, Robyn and Rod, who also play significant roles within the shooting sport, reflected upon their son’s career and his decision to retire.
“As parents, we never expected that Dane would achieve all that he has in his shooting career,” they said.
“His goal, from a very early age, was to compete in the Olympic Games and his determination, persistence and dedication to achieve that goal (and so much more) is to be admired.
“We know that Dane very much appreciates all the support he has received from so many along the way, all the opportunities the sport has given him, the friends he has made, the places he has travelled, the experiences he has had.
“It has certainly been quite a journey he has taken us all on. We wish him all the best for the future — time for a change.”
Shooting Australia commended Dane on his outstanding dedication and contribution to the sport, and the wider target shooting community. He will undoubtably continue to be a role model for future rifle athletes.
Article courtesy Shooting Australia.
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