Great Britain’s Amber Rutter insists that “some accountability needs to be taken” and “an apology” is necessary following the controversial conclusion to the women’s skeet final at the Paris Games.
The 26-year-old was tied with Chile’s Francisca Crovetto Chadid after three rounds of the four-round shoot-off. However, she was ruled to have missed a shot that slow-motion replays appeared to show she had actually hit.
Unlike other sports, shooting at the Olympics does not utilize video assistant referee (VAR) technology or Hawkeye. When Rutter contested the call, the judges did not overturn their decision.
Rutter, who secured the silver medal, stated that “a poor and incorrect decision by all three referees” had denied her the opportunity to compete for the gold medal.
The BBC has reached out to the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) for comment.
On Instagram, Rutter wrote: “There have been thousands of comments and images shared of me clearly hitting my final shot in the gold-medal match shoot-off.”
“I feel like I owe it not just myself but the entire shooting community to highlight and address the matter.
“Every athlete, especially at the Games deserves to compete on a fair playing field.”
She added: “We are at an elite level and these mistakes I believe should not even be a possibility.”
Rutter and Crovetto Chadid finished level on 55 shots from 60 targets in the final, resulting in a shoot-off to crown the new Olympic champion.
After Rutter questioned the referees’ call, 34-year-old Crovetto Chadid struck with both her next shots to clinch Chile’s first ever shooting gold medal.
In her Instagram post, Rutter highlighted the fact VAR had “always” been in place at previous ISSF competitions.
“At this point in time, I can’t imagine a huge amount will be done, and that is not what I am looking for,” she said.
“However, I do believe some accountability needs to be taken to acknowledge and an apology for the incorrect decision ultimately costing me an opportunity of winning an Olympic gold medal. And furthermore a plan to prevent something like this happening in the future.”