Wilson excited by return to training for Rio

The 26-year-old had been mulling over his career for a while but after a meeting with British Shooting he is ready to return to training and start adapting to the new format he will have to face.

Wilson, from Sherborne, won Gold at the Royal Artillery Barracks during London 2012 and also broke the world record last year, suggested he may have an edge over his more-experienced competitors who may not find the switch as easy to deal with.

The rule changes have been designed to make the discipline a lot tougher and a lot more exciting for the viewing public and Wilson has welcomed the decision.

"This year I will be looking to train harder and sharper than ever before. In fact, 2013 will be more about training than it will be about competing," said Wilson.

"Some big changes have been made to the Olympic shooting events since London, and in some ways the double trap is a new discipline now.

"That is why it is so important to train really hard so I am fully prepared for the back end of this year and the beginning of next year, which is the qualification period for Rio.

"Instead of knowing which pairs I am going to be shooting, they are going to be completely random instead, with one of three pairs coming out.

"The final stage will also be slightly different. Instead of six of us lining up it will be head-to-head, so scores will no longer be carried forward.

"A lot of the other guys in the top-20 are a little older than me and they could well find it a bit harder. Having set the world record and won gold at the Olympics last year, it is great to have a new challenge ahead."

Having made various media appearances since rising to fame after starring in London, Wilson hopes he has helped raise the profile of his sport and feels the new shooting format may make the sport more attractive.

"The rules changed on January 1 so there is certainly a lot for me to work on but to be honest it could not have come at a better time. Not only has it made it a bit more exciting but being relatively young hopefully I can adapt to the changes quite quickly," he added.

"Also, with more people being aware of the sport in the UK now, hopefully there is plenty more exciting times ahead, so watch this space.

"It has just been a great few months but now it's time to take a deep breath and get back to some hard training."