Skeet silver for Amber, praised for her dignity

Great Britain’s Amber Rutter said coming away from Paris with an Olympic Skeet silver medal was a dream, despite the controversial end to her gold medal bid. 

The 26-year-old tied on 55 shots from 60 targets with Chile’s Francisca Crovetto Chadid. They went to a shoot-off and were still tied after three rounds but, in a moment of contention, Amber was called to have missed a shot. However, slow-motion replays confirmed she hit it. 

Amber contested the call, but Olympic shooting has no video review system so the call was not overturned. The Chilean hit with both her next shots to claim gold — a first shooting medal for her country. 

Former World Champion Amber won silver just over three months after giving birth to her first child, Tommy, and was surprised afterwards by her husband, who had brought their son to Paris. “The fact that I’m able to be a mum and come away with a medal for my country means I am on top of the world right now,” she said. 

Duncan Grisedale, head of UK sales at Promatic Traps, told Shooting Times: “We are incredibly proud of both Nathan Hales [see p10] and Amber, both shooters who train on Promatic traps. Their success in Paris is so good for shooting in the UK, giving the sport positive media coverage it needs. Their performance and the way they conducted themselves showed the British public that shooting is inclusive, competitive, fun and professional.” 

Eley Hawk said it was “beyond proud” of Amber’s achievement. “We knew when we partnered with Amber in 2010 that she was special, and it has been a privilege to collaborate with her ever since. Her journey to the podium has been nothing short of extraordinary, reflecting the true dedication, hard work and indomitable spirit that define her as an athlete.” 

Sian Melrose, marketing manager of GMK — distributors of Amber’s Beretta DT11 competition gun – said: “One thing that struck me more than anything when the judges made their controversial decision was the way she handled that decision with dignity and class. She is a true sportswoman and an amazing ambassador, not only for Beretta, but for all shooting sports.”