THE new rule changes in the Olympic double trap have come at just the right time for reigning champion Peter Wilson.

The Sherborne ace has been mulling over his career for a while but following a meeting with British Shooting in Newbury, he is now ready to get back into training.

The 26-year-old, who won gold in London and also broke the world record last year, told Echosport: “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.

“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.”

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

He added: “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.

“What that means is you could go in one and set a world record score and then get knocked out by the guy lying last.

“Shooting is a lot bigger elsewhere in the world in places like the USA and China, and the idea of these changes is to make the sport more televisual and attractive to a wider audience.”

Wilson also believes the new structure may work in his favour. He continued: “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.

“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.

“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.”

Since his success at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, Wilson has hardly had time to stop due to commercial activities which have led to some wonderful experiences.

He said: “It has been a brilliant time and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.

“Life is slowly beginning to calm back down now but as one thing calms another gears up.

“My commercial life is calming down but at the same time my training and competitive shooting is ramping up again, so there really is no rest for the wicked.”

As well as being awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List, Wilson has also made several television appearances.

He went on to add: “The MBE was just amazing and completely unexpected, “When I got the letter I couldn’t believe it and I am just so excited now about the prospect of going to Buckingham Palace to receive it.

“The BBC Sports Personality of the Year show was another highlight and it is these types of things I would never have got the opportunity to experience had it not been for the Olympics.

“I also took part in the Superstars Christmas special and was also part of the filming for a BBC documentary on the Olympic Legacy.

“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.”