A high school track runner suffered a concussion and potential skull fracture after being hit with a baton by an opponent during the Virginia Class 3 State Indoor Championships.
USA Today reported that Kaelen Tucker, from Brookville High School, was struck with a baton by a runner from I.C. Norcom during the second leg of the 4x200 meter relay at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.
In a video of the incident posted on X, you can see the runners coming around a curve and Tucker beginning to pass one of her opponents.
As the runners enter the straightaway, Tucker is slightly ahead. Then, the other runner raises her baton and strikes Tucker in the head.
The video shows Tucker stumbling, dropping her baton, and falling off the track while holding the back of her head.
While there wasn’t any diagnosis given at the track, a doctor later told the young runner that she had a concussion and possible skull fracture, reported USA Today.
“As I was coming up on her, she kind of like made me get cut off a little bit, so I backed away,” Tucker said about the race during an interview with local ABC affiliate WSET. “Then, as we got around the curve, she kept bumping me in my arm. Then finally we got off the curve, I like slowly started passing her and then that’s when she just hit me with the baton and I fell off the track.”
Tucker recalled that she could feel a headache coming on and decided to sit out.
The team from I.C. Norcom was disqualified from the event and Virginia High School League is investigating the situation, according to USA Today.
“The actions taken by the meet director to disqualify the runner were appropriate and correct,” the Virginia High School League told People in a statement. “We thoroughly review every instance like this that involves player safety with the participating schools.”
Tucker’s mother, Tamarrow Tucker, said last week during the WSET interview that she was most concerned that there wasn’t an apology offered from the opposing athlete or coach in the immediate aftermath of the event.