- Amber Jo Rutter claimed the first Olympic skeet medal for the British team on Sunday
- The 26-year-old narrowly missed out on gold after a dramatic penalty shootout against Chile
- Television replays appeared to show Rutter scoring a hit that ultimately failed to convert.
Amber Rutter lost Olympic gold in controversial circumstances following a dramatic penalty shoot-out in Chateauroux.
After trailing Francisca Crovetto Chadid during the closing stages, the 26-year-old produced a composed performance to draw level with the Chilean and force a penalty shootout for gold. at the National Shooting Center.
On his final attempt, Rutter appeared to have hit both targets, but only managed to score one and he quickly requested a review.
The decision stood even though television replays appeared to show she had made contact with both shots.
VAR technology has been used in other skeet competitions in the event of a controversial decision, but the technology is not available for the 2024 matches and Rutter was forced to watch on as her chance of gold hung in the balance.
Amber Rutter controversially lost a gold medal after a penalty shootout in Chateauroux
The 26-year-old appeared to hit both targets, but the judges only awarded her one point.
Rutter is the first British woman to win an Olympic medal in skeet, and she did so just four months after giving birth to her first child.
In the end, Chadid kept his cool and hit both targets to triumph 7-6 in the penalty shootout, securing Chile’s first shooting medal at the Games.
The decision not to score Rutter’s two spot kicks in the final stage of the shoot-out proved highly controversial on social media, with fans claiming he had been “robbed” of the gold medal.
One wrote: “Are you sure Amber Rutter was completely robbed? That’s so wrong. How can we all see on a replay a few seconds later that she’s hit the target and yet they don’t give her the point?”
Another added: “That’s so unfair to Amber Jo Rutter. She beat them both. She loses the gold medal thanks to incompetent refereeing.”
A third fan agreed: “Amber Rutter cheated her way to a gold medal. How can there not be a VAR equivalent at the Olympics, the biggest sporting event in the world? It’s unbelievable.”
Fans vented their frustration on social media after Rutter was forced to settle for silver.
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Rutter became the first British woman to win a skeet medal at the Olympics just four months after giving birth to her first child.
After finishing sixth in her Olympic debut in 2016, Rutter missed Tokyo three years ago after testing positive for Covid.
