Just three months after giving birth to her son Tommy, Amber Rutter is tied for top in the women's skeet qualification.
Rutter, nee Hill, will hope to join the ranks of mothers on the podium after she finished day one alongside Germany's Nele Wissmer, hitting 74/75 targets.
And in her first competition back post-pregnancy, Rutter was thrilled with the advantage as she takes to the range on day two to shoot another 50 targets, with the top six athletes set to progress into the final.
She said: “It was a great first day and better than what I could ever have hoped for.
“Going into day two with that advantage is great.
“It was a fantastic first day and I’m really pleased with my performance.”
74/75 👌
— Team GB (@TeamGB) August 3, 2024
A great day's work for Amber Rutter, who returns to competition three months after giving birth to her first child.
She is top of the standings after three rounds of skeet qualification, with two more rounds to follow tomorrow.#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/wNgxtHoBmE
But it wasn’t just Rutter’s coach who was giving her tips on how to deal with the pressure going into the Olympics, taking advice from popular TV show 'Grey's Anatomy' as well.
The 26-year-old noted: “There’s a thing from Grey’s Anatomy - if you stand like Superman, the confidence comes through.
“You have to puff up your chest and put on your big girl pants.
“That’s exactly what I had to do out there and just keep doing it again and again. Then just let the scores rack up.”
The skeet shooter made her Olympic debut at Rio 2016 aged 18 but missed out on a second Games in Tokyo due to Covid.
Away from the Olympic stage, Rutter has picked up five world championship medals, including two golds.
Sportsbeat 2024