“Your Life Doesn’t Have to Stop”: Team GB’s Amber Rutter On Being a Mum and an Olympian

Amber Rutter's Team GB comeback is a sight to behold. In the last three months she's come from cradling her newborn son to winning silver at the Games with only five weeks of training — it's enough to give anyone whiplash.

Rutter is a skeet shooter, an athlete who shoots at clay targets thrown into the air by spring devices called traps, and is making waves as one of the most successful British shooters of all time and has come a long way since her debut at Rio 2016 and after missing out on the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 due to a positive Covid test. The knock-back only fuelled her determination to make it to Paris. Since bagging a silver medal, she hopes to be an inspiration to new mothers with many believing she was entitled to a bigger win – as her silver medal win was met with some controversy after a shoot-off with Chile's Francisca Crovetto Chadid. Rutter was called to have missed a shot which slow motion replays appeared to show she hit, she contested but the decision was overturned, explaining why many viewers say she was "robbed" of gold.

Nevertheless, her dream of competing at the Olympics came true this weekend with the icing on the cake being her young son and husband James surprising her in the crowd. Since welcoming baby Tommy into the world in April, Rutter has continued to raise the profile of women in her sport and show that she's "not just a mum." For her social media followers, she regularly portrays her ability to multitask, running on the treadmill with Tommy by her side and making her son her "new training partner."

"It really does feel like a marathon in this event so even when you get to the end and secure that medal, it is a feeling like no other," she tells PS UK. "Then to turn around and see my son there and my husband, he completely surprised me, I had no idea he was coming. The fact I was able to celebrate with him. Tommy might not be able to remember it, but it's a moment in time that I will certainly remember and I know James, my husband, will too," Rutter continues.

There was a point when she was unsure how she'd make being an Olympian and a new mum work. She joins the likes of Jessica Ennis-Hill and Laura Kenny, who both returned to the Olympics after giving birth and won medals, but struggled with balancing family life, the Olympic dream and 'mum guilt', which Ennis-Hill admitted to.

"I still want to have things for myself but I also want to put time and effort into being a great mum," the 26-year-old says. "The last few months haven't been without challenges, but coming home to my son at the end of the day makes it all worth it."

Rutter reminds herself that she's a person before she's an athlete, something she had neglected for years. "But it doesn't mean that sport isn't still a massive part of my life," she adds. "While at the end of the day my family is a priority, and it always will be, I also have another reason to continue now. Now that my mindset has completely shifted, I'm so excited to announce that I'm going to Paris. It feels amazing to be an Olympian again."

"Being part of the club of being an Olympic medallist and a mum at the same time, it's something that feels so inspirational. I hope we can share the message to other mums that your life doesn't stop after having a baby," Rutter tells PS UK. "Things have really changed now, whether it's in sport or another passion. Your life doesn't have to stop, they just have to come along on the ride with you.

"It is the best thing in the world being a mum, so I'm so glad that I managed to balance my life and my training. It was really tough, but the fact that I never lost sight of what truly matters, which is my family, and the Olympic dream, I'm really proud of that."

Lauren Gordon is the editorial coordinator at PS UK, where she creates lifestyle and identity content. Lauren has a degree in journalism from University of the Arts London and previously worked as a showbiz and TV reporter at The Mirror US. Lauren specialises in pop culture, hair and beauty, focusing on trends, sharing in-depth tutorials, and highlighting hidden gems in the beauty industry.