Great Britain's Amber Rutter Robbed Of Gold Medal In Olympic Skeet Shooting Thanks To No Video Review

Amber Rutter got absolutely hosed in the Olympic women's skeet shooting final.

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. She earned the silver — barely falling to Chile's Francisca Crovetto Chadid on Sunday.

But did she really?

Amber Rutter of Team Great Britain applauds fans after winning the silver medal following the Shooting Skeet Women's Final.

(Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Chadid had a two-shot lead over Rutter going into the final round, only to give them back on the final four. The competition was tied after regulation, so it went to a shoot-off. First one to miss loses. 

Game on.

Rutter and Crovetto traded five additional shots. But controversy struck in the sixth round. Rutter stepped up to the mat, took a shot and clearly clipped the clay to put the pressure back on Chile. But… Rutter’s shot was deemed a miss. She immediately raised her hand in the air to protest the call.

Replay shows that Rutter hit her target. A piece of the clay split off in the air. There is no question about it.

But the Paris Olympics failed to implement a VAR (or video assistant referee) system to skeet shooting, despite all of the cameras. As a result, the wrong call was the final ruling from the referees.

Crovetto hit the clay on her next shot and was awarded Chile’s first gold medal in 16 years, even though the competition should’ve continued.

Amber Rutter Should Have Stayed Alive In The Final

"It’s clearly a hit," Rutter's coach Richard Brickell said afterward. "All the coaches knew it was a hit, everyone in the stadium knew it was a hit and everyone at home knew it was a hit. Unfortunately, the only people who didn’t were the judges. It’s tough. A big mistake for a very important medal.

"Sponsorship and everything else is based around Olympic medals, and gold even more so. So it will have ramifications."

Brickell said he hoped the incident would ensure video replays are always in use at major tournaments. Rutter agreed with that suggestion.

"It is something we had the last time I competed [at last year’s European Championships] so I’m not sure where it’s gone," she said. "I didn’t realize it wasn’t here. I think it’s so important because it’s moments like these that you want the true result. The fact that viewers at home can see it, I’m sure they will be asking questions about how the refs haven’t seen it. It is a real shame, but hopefully the next time they will see it.

"But that’s sport for you. It’s all swings and roundabouts. To come away with a silver medal, I’m just super-proud of my performance and I’m not going to let a target like that take away my moment. I know I put in a really solid performance out there, so I’m going to celebrate and enjoy my moment."

Despite the controversy, it was a very cool moment for Rutter after a long road to Paris. When she was just 18 years old, she finished sixth in her Olympic debut in Rio in 2016. But she almost quit the sport after she tested positive for COVID and was denied the chance to compete at the Tokyo Games. She was ranked No. 1 in the world at the time.

Now, even after winning silver in Paris, she's still not sure if she'll pursue a future in the sport.

"I feel like I’ve been so busy the last few months. I just want to focus on family time and soak this moment up," Rutter said. "We’ll see whether I come back."