One would think that with the presence of so many cameras, people would be more honest. Yet, an incident still occurred during a 4×200 meter relay race at Liberty University in Virginia on March 7. Everything was going smoothly until Brookville High School junior Kaelen Tucker was about to pass another runner. The proper thing to do is focus on running and doing your best. However, the IC Norcom High School runner decided it would be better to hit her opponent in the head with a relay baton.
Although it was only one hit, the pain caused Tucker to stop running and fall outside the track. In the video, you can see her drop her baton before clutching the back of her head in pain. On the other hand, the culprit, whose identity remains unknown, continued to run forward in the race.
During an interview with WSET, the Virginia runner said that she didn’t believe what had happened. “I just know I got hit in the head, and I just fell off the track,” Tucker told WSET. Luckily, she was quickly taken to a doctor who diagnosed her with a concussion and a possible fracture in her skull.
Justice is still being served, though. Not long after the medical team arrived to check on Tucker, the IC Norcom High School team was disqualified from the event due to the other runner’s dirty move. However, that isn’t quite enough for the Virginia runner. Tucker wants to know why the other runner hit her, and she expects an apology for the act.
Other people aren’t so forgiving, though. Many expected the IC Norcom runner to face actual punishment. They believe the act is obviously intentional and she should be punished severely. “That’s assault – the girl who swung the baton should be arrested,” one Redditor commented.
Some questioned why the runner believed that she could get away with doing such a thing. Besides the camera filming the race, there were also many eyes watching the runners. You could even hear gasps from the spectators when the incident occurred. “What kind of parenting must someone have had to think this is acceptable during competitiveness?” another Redditor said.
If you’re one of the people who expect the runner to get punished, you’ll need to wait. WSET reached out to the Virginia High School League regarding the incident, and they said that they were investigating it but didn’t share more information.
