- Amber Rutter claimed Team GB’s first ever Olympic skeet medal on Sunday
- The 26-year-old missed out on gold after a dramatic shoot-out against Chile
- TV replays appeared to show Rutter scoring a hit that ultimately didn’t come
Amber Rutter’s coach claims Olympic judges made a “huge mistake” after the Briton was controversially denied clay pigeon gold.
After trailing Francisca Crovetto Chadid in the final stages, the 26-year-old put in a controlled performance, tying the Chilean and forcing a shoot-out for the gold medal at the National Shooting Sports Centre.
On her final attempt, Rutter appeared to have hit both targets, but only one was successful, so she immediately filed a request for review.
The decision was subsequently upheld, despite TV replays appearing to show she had made contact with both shots. VAR technology has been used in other skeet competitions before in the event of a disputed decision, but the technology is not in place for the 2024 competitions and Rutter was forced to watch as her chance of gold hung in the balance.
Her coach Richard Brickell said Rutter’s attempt was “clearly on target” and lamented the judges’ costly mistake.
Amber Rutter’s coach claimed Olympic judges made ‘huge mistake’ after she won silver medal
On her final attempt, Rutter appeared to have hit both targets, but only one scored
Rutter sensationally became the first Briton to win a medal in skeet jumping at the Olympic Games
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“All the coaches knew it was a hit, everyone in the stadium knew it was a hit, everyone at home knew,” he said. “Unfortunately, the judges were the only ones who didn’t know that. It’s a big mistake for a very important medal.”
Chadid eventually kept her cool and scored both shots, winning the shootout 7-6, securing Chile its first shooting medal at the Games.
The decision not to let Rutter score both goals in the final stages of the shoot-out caused much controversy on social media, with fans claiming she had been ‘stolen’ of the gold medal.
Rutter became the first British woman to win a skeet medal at the Olympics, just three months after the birth of her first child. After finishing sixth in her Olympic debut in 2016, Rutter missed Tokyo three years ago after testing positive for Covid.
“I really believe it was a hit but this is sport for you,” Rutter told talkSPORT. “It’s all hit and miss and yeah, it’s just one of those things you have to live with.
The 26-year-old was quickly back in action just three months after giving both to her baby
“I really believe I achieved that last goal, but coming home with a silver medal is something I’m very proud of. I never thought that would be possible.
“The fact that I am sitting here now with a silver medal makes me so proud of my result and how far I have come.”
