Team GB shooter Amber Rutter found herself caught up in an extraordinary Olympic refereeing controversy when the absence of video replays denied her the chance of upgrading her historic silver medal to gold.
Competing for the first time since giving birth just three months ago, Rutter became the first British woman ever to win an Olympic shooting medal before celebrating with her husband and baby boy Tommy, who had secretly flown from home to surprise her.
If Amber Rutter felt any frustration when she turned to the crowd to acknowledge becoming the first British woman to win an Olympic shooting medal it immediately abated as everything instantly fell into perspective.
Rutter’s three-month-old son Tommy was not meant to be in France. Under strict orders not to come anywhere near the Châteauroux Shooting Centre, located 270km south of Paris, her husband, James, was supposed to be back home with their baby watching on TV. If he had been, he would have seen the video replays that suggested Rutter had struck a decisive clay deep into a shootoff for gold; replays that, controversially, were for TV use only and not available to the referees in competition, who ruled incorrectly that she had missed.
But James had secretly flown out with Tommy to surprise Rutter so they could all enjoy the astonishing, historic moment together. “I had no idea they were coming,” said Rutter. “I know Tommy might not remember it but I definitely will so I’m so glad they made the journey.
Amber Rutter, the British shooter, was furious about being denied a gold medal in a controversial shoot-off at the end of the women’s skeet. The GB athlete finished with a silver medal but believed she had hit a clay only for it not to explode. Rutter’s ‘miss’ opened the door for her shoot-off opponent, Chile’s Francisca Crovetto Chadid, to hit both her targets and take the gold medal. Read more in our report.
The Rutter incident was not the only disappointment for Team GB on Sunday. The men’s hockey team were knocked out in the quarter-finals after they lost in a shoot-out to India. There was also no medal for a strong GB team in the women’s cycling road race.
Amber Rutter has won a silver medal in the Olympics 2024 women’s skeet shooting final in Chateauroux.
Just over three months after giving birth to her son Tommy, Team GB’s Rutter kept her cool during a tense six-athlete shoot-off to seal her place in the gold medal showdown.
Amber Rutter was cruelly denied the opportunity to earn shooting gold in the women’s skeet after her final effort was judged to have missed the target, allowing Chile’s Francisca Crovetto Chadid to take the win.
The pair had pushed each other all of the way into a nerve-wracking shoot-off on day nine of the Games as they matched each other at each station. When Rutter was judged to have missed her second target, the 26-year-old quickly protested the decision believing that she managed to clip it.
Rutter’s protests were to no avail, however, and Chadid was able to capitalise to take the win. It may not be the end of the controversy with claims that the slow-motion replay actually showed the clay being clipped.
The sport has used a VAR-like system but it is not in place for the Games. BBC commentator Rory McCallister claimed Rutter had been successful in her shot as it seemed to catch the right side of the target.
Team GB’s Amber Rutter ‘truly believes’ she hit her final attempt at winning Olympic gold despite not being awarded the point.
Rutter, who gave birth just three months ago, faced Francisca Crovetto Chadid of Chile in a shootout in the women’s skeet shooting final.
3 Comments
BS. The same happened to other shooters, so no controversy here. The Chilean had a protest under exactly the same circumstances in the same series.Sore loseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer.
she should be handed a gold medal too …………….. come on OLYMPIC COMIMTIE DO THE RIGHT THING
Skeet official, Bill Vinovich was unavailable for comment.