LONDON: British skeet shooter Amber Hill has withdrawn from the upcoming Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19. She tested positive for the virus in the United Kingdom before departing for Tokyo.
The 23-year-old Amber, ranked No 1 in the world, was due to compete in the women's skeet event. She was a finalist in the event in Rio Olympics 2016. As of now, no replacement will be selected in Amber's place. She will now isolate as per UK's COVID-19 guidelines.
"There are no words to describe how I'm feeling right now," said Amber in a statement by the Great Britain Olympic Committee. "After five years of training and preparation, I'm absolutely devastated to say that last night I received a positive Covid-19 test, meaning I've had to withdraw from Team GB's shooting team.
She wished luck for the GB team currently in Tokyo. "I will be back from this, but right now I need some time to reflect and take in what has happened," concluded Amber.
"This is an incredibly sad situation for Amber after she's worked so hard to earn her Olympic place for Team GB. Our focus is to now make sure Amber is kept safe and well, both physically and mentally, and we have the support in place to help her through this difficult period," said GB shooting Team Leader Steven Seligmann.
Amber, a silver medallist in skeet at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, had earned an Olympic quota by winning the women's skeet competition at the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi in March this year. In June, she won the bronze medal in skeet at the European Shooting Championships in Osijek, Croatia.