Kiara Dean joins Shooting Australia's National Performance Squad

The squad is one of three tiers of a new look national squad, with the pathways squad dedicated to those considered capable of achieving higher honours who have demonstrated commitment to succeed in the sport.

Dean, who was named Echuca-Moama's junior Sportstar in 2018, said she was excited by her selection.

“It's a great opportunity for all of us,” she said.

“We were given the opportunity to apply for the squad a couple of months ago, and I was contacted by the national coach just before the squads were officially released to let me know I had been selected.

“You're selected based off your form in pervious shoots, be it in junior or senior level, so it's an honour they've given me the opportunity based on what I've done in the past.”

The inclusion in the squad means Dean will have access to support from within the national system as she continues her shooting journey.

“It means we will have that bit of extra help for our shooting,” she said.

“We will have access to the national coach and some of our shooting facilities to help us improve.”

And after a year with few events, Dean said the support is a godsend.

“There is still a lot that is being worked through, but it's Shooting Australia giving us the opportunity to really work on our sport,” she said.

“We've been limited in our opportunities in the past 12 months due to the (COVID) pandemic, so having people to work with us and get us shooting our best is a great opportunity.

“I've been able to get out there a lot at the start of this year and shoot as much as I can.

“We're doing it in in case something happens again.

“But I'm feeling good about how things are going. I'm really happy with my shooting and how things are progressing, so hopefully this opportunity will help me even more.”

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