Dane Sampson

Dane Sampson followed in his parents’ footsteps when he started shooting at the age of 12. Long having dreamed of representing Australia at the Olympics, he also had a desire to travel and saw sport as a means to see the world.

Growing up, Dane perfected his craft at the Commercial Shooting Club in Brisbane. He was encouraged by his aunty, Anne Budgen, who represented Australia at a Shooting World Championships, and she regularly drove him to competitions.

Dane made his Olympic debut at London where he finished 37th in the men’s 50m rifle three positions, 48th in the men’s 50m rifle prone, and 42nd in the men’s 10m air rifle.

He competed at his first Commonwealth Games in 2014 and made the finals in the three rifle events. His best result came in the 50m rifle prone, where he placed fourth as teammate Warren Potent won the gold.

Competing at Rio in his second Olympic Games, Dane improved his results in each of the three events as he claimed 20th in the men’s 50m rifle three positions, 31st in the men’s 50m rifle prone and 37th in the men’s 10m air rifle. 

At his second Commonwealth Games in 2018, he won a gold medal in the men’s 10m air rifle, finished seventh in the men’s 50m rifle three positions and 12th in the men’s 50m rifle prone. Dane was delighted to win the gold medal at his home range.

That year he became the first Australian to make a World Championships final of a Rifle 3 Positions. In 2019, Dane clinched a Tokyo Games quota spot for Australia when he finished fourth at the 2019 World Cup Final. He secured his third Olympic Games start after claiming Australia’s number one ranking in the four-round 10m Air Rifle selection series.

In Tokyo, Dane competed in three events, finishing 27th in the men’s Rifle Three Positions, 30th in the men’s 10m Air Rifle, and 22nd in the Mixed Team 10m Air Rifle, where he partnered Katarina Kowplos.

In 2022, Dane claimed a bronze medal when teaming with Jack Rossiter and Michael Davis in the men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions Team event in the ISSF World Cup meet in Changwon, Korea before the trio captured the silver medal in the men’s 10m Air Rifle Team event at the ISSF World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan.

At the 2023 World Championships in Baku, he finished 21st in the 10m Air Rifle and 26th in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions.    

Dane is nothing if not a man of varied interests. When asked what he is most likely to be doing when not training or competing, he answers: “Reading philosophy, learning a new language, bouldering, being active with friends (or) woodwork.”