When Amber Rutter turned to the crowd to celebrate her victory as the first British woman to win an Olympic shooting medal, any frustration she felt swiftly faded, giving way to a profound sense of perspective.
Rutter’s three-month-old son, Tommy, wasn’t supposed to be in France. Under strict instructions to stay away from the Châteauroux Shooting Centre, which is located 270km south of Paris, her husband, James, was meant to be back home with their baby, watching on television. Had he followed the plan, he would have seen the video replays suggesting Rutter had decisively hit a clay target during the shootoff for gold—a controversial narrative, as those replays were for TV only and not accessible to the referees in competition, who wrongly ruled that she had missed.
However, James secretly flew to France with Tommy to surprise Rutter so the family could share this remarkable historical moment together. “I had no idea they were coming,” Rutter said. “I know Tommy might not remember it, but I definitely will, so I’m thrilled they made the journey.”
“I didn’t see them before the end, thank goodness. I had told my whole family not to come because I wanted to concentrate on my performance, and if I heard Tommy cry, I’d be completely distracted. I don’t know how close to the range they got, but I hope it wasn’t too close because he definitely would have been playing with fire.”
This risk was worthwhile. As he grows older, Tommy will hear about his mother’s extraordinary journey—how she finished sixth at the Rio Olympics, just three years after being named the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year. He’ll learn of her heartbreak after being unable to compete at the Tokyo Games when she was ranked world No 1, having been diagnosed with Covid just before her flight to Japan. He’ll know that she didn’t postpone her dreams of raising a family just to compete in these Olympics, continuing to train until she was 28 weeks pregnant and standing on the podium barely three months post-birth. But unfortunately, he’ll also learn about how the absence of video replays denied her the chance to vie for gold.
The skeet final reached its dramatic conclusion with four of the six finalists already eliminated when the controversial moment occurred. Rutter and Chile’s Francisca Crovetto Chadid were the only two competitors left in a sudden-death shootoff for gold, where the first to miss would settle for silver.
When Rutter’s ninth shootoff shot was ruled a miss, she turned to her coach, Richard Brickell, to protest, convinced that it had hit the clay. However, unlike many other major shooting events, replays weren’t available for her to use in appealing the decision. Crovetto Chadid soon claimed victory, and the results were confirmed.
“It was clearly a hit,” Brickell fumed. “All the coaches knew it was a hit, everyone in the stadium knew it was a hit, and everyone watching at home knew it was a hit. Unfortunately, the only people who didn’t see it were the judges. It’s tough—a huge error for such an important medal.”
Nevertheless, Rutter remained composed, unwilling to let the controversy overshadow her monumental achievement. “I believe with all my heart that it hit, but that’s just how sports go,” she stated. “There are ups and downs. It’s just one of those things you have to accept. But to walk away with a silver medal, I’m incredibly proud of my performance, and I won’t allow an erroneous call to diminish my moment. I know I performed solidly out there, so I plan to celebrate and cherish this experience.”
Still, Rutter echoed Brickell’s call for technology in the sport to prevent such mistakes when the stakes are high. “I think it’s crucial, especially in moments like these when you want the accurate outcome,” she explained. “Viewers at home can see it, and I’m sure they will be questioning how the referees missed that.”
For Rutter, though, this was not the time to dwell on bitterness; it was a family moment to hold dear—from the tiny baby in her arms to her grandfather, who had first inspired her to take up the sport as a child but sadly didn’t live to witness her greatest achievement.
“Even in his last days, he was always watching me on his iPad, wherever I was competing,” she reflected. “His dream was to see me win an Olympic medal, and while he may not be here today, I know he’s watching from above. This moment is also for him.”
