Amber Rutter is buoyed by excitement and a fresh sense of perspective as she prepares to head to the Paris Olympics just three months after becoming a mum.
Rutter, who competed in the Rio Olympics in 2016 under her maiden name of Hill, missed out on the Tokyo Games due to a positive coronavirus test just two days before the opening ceremony.
The fall-out prompted Rutter to seriously consider her future in the sport, but the 26-year-old believes she is better-equipped than ever to claim a first Olympic medal – and ready to cope if she cannot.
![Amber Rutter](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/f747d4aea84c8cb74c7ed80e077ae1e3Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzE5NTkwMTMx/2.60396341.jpg?w=640)
“It feels great to qualify again but my main priority is being a mum,” Rutter, one of a six-strong British shooting team named for the Games on Friday, told the PA news agency.
“My perspective has completely changed on it all. My son Tommy has just started smiling and no matter what sort of day I’ve had, seeing his smile makes all the problems go away.
“Regardless of the outcome in Tokyo it doesn’t really matter, because ultimately I’m just going to be coming home to him and that’s really the prize.”
![Amber Rutter](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/522073dda832130c933bd15105fc02b8Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzE5NTkwMTc2/2.28332437.jpg?w=640)
While Rutter admits certain issues surrounding her Tokyo experience still rankle, she acknowledged it prompted her to take a step away from the sport she had pursued obsessively since the age of eight.
Tipped for great things after becoming the youngest winner of a World Cup series at the age of just 15, the dark days post-Tokyo that prompted her to spend time with a sports psychologist and finally find time to get married to her long-term partner.
Three world medals in 2022, followed by the European gold that confirmed her quota place for Paris at an early stage, signalled she was on the right track and afforded her more time away from the range in the knowledge that her Olympic place had been effectively assured.
“I still feel very resentful about some things that occurred over Tokyo, but I also think that ultimately it’s helped things go in the right direction,” added Rutter.
“I don’t think I’d have won the quota place for Paris when I did, and I certainly wouldn’t have become pregnant when I did. The way it happened prompted me to look at my life and what I was prioritising, and something really good has come out of it.”
Her son will remain in England with his grandparents as Rutter embarks on a swift five-day visit to the French capital, a sign that she remains focused on winning the one major medal in her sport that eludes her.
![Amber Hill shows off her silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/df2086e750d9acebdcaddb784313a8b7Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzE5NTkwMjc4/2.35891881.jpg?w=640)
“It’s important for me that the competition is as similar as possible for me, and much as I would love Tommy to be there with me, I need to be able to focus on myself and my performance,” added Rutter.
“I’ve decided to get in and out as quickly as possible before and after my event, and I’m only away from him for five days so it’s not too long. I want to go to the Olympics and win a gold medal – but my priority is being a mum and getting home to my baby.”
The GB shooting team for Paris also includes Seonaid McIntosh, the former world champion who has a chance to win Britain’s first medal of the Games in the mixed team air rifle alongside Michael Bargeron, plus trap trio Matt Coward-Holley, Nathan Hales and Lucy Hall.
A four-strong Paralympic team includes reigning Paralympic champion Matt Skelton, three-time Olympian Ryan Cockbill, Tim Jeffrey and pistol shooter Issy Bailey.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here