NOT many athletes can claim to be seasoned internationals at the age of 22. Step forward Dan Hunter.

With 74 Great Britain caps already to his name, the professional volleyball star from Poole is one rare example.

Hunter is hoping his combination of experience and youth will prove a key factor in helping him achieve his long-held ambition of representing his country at London 2012.

And should he pull on the Team GB jersey at the Games, what many might have considered a gamble will have paid rich dividends for the Poole Grammar School old boy.

He told the Daily Echo: “At 18, I was called up to the Great Britain team based in Sheffield.

“I trained twice a day, five days a week, while studying at the University of Sheffield.

“In 2009, I got my debut for GB against Australia but due to a lack of funding for training with GB in the UK, I left my university course unfinished in the 2010-11 season and went to Holland to play professionally in pursuit of the dream – London 2012.”

That dream is now close to becoming a reality, with Hunter a probable selection for the men’s indoor team, having been their first-choice back-court specialist for the past two years.

Born in Poole, he began playing the sport at Haymoor Middle School before honing his skills with Wessex Volleyball Club, where he won a number of national titles.

Now in his second season at Dutch club Landstede, where he plays alongside GB team-mates Ben Pipes and Peter Bakare, Hunter is aiming to maximise his potential in Olympic year.

He added: “I am still training twice a day with my club, Landstede VC, in order to get to my highest level possible.”