The indoor track championships in Virginia were marred by a brazen attack by one runner when she used the baton in her relay race as a weapon against an opponent.
The attack took place during the 4x200m relay event of the VSHL Class 3 State Indoor Championships held on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg.
Kaelen Tucker was running the second leg of the relay for Lynchburg’s Brookville High School when she went to make a pass around another runner in a battle for second place.
Rather than fight fair, her opponent in that battle – who attended IC Norcom High School in the Hampton Roads area of the state – decided to take more aggressive action.
The Norcom runner wound her right arm back and smacked the baton she was carrying across Tucker’s head as seen on video of the incident.
Gasps were heard inside the Liberty Indoor Track Complex as Tucker slowed down, stumbled, and then fell to the ground on the interior of the course.
Brookville High School runner Kaelen Tucker (circled) was hit on the head with a baton
Tucker went to pass an opposing runner when she was struck on the head, causing her to fall
Her mother and team trainers were seen rushing to her aid as the Norcom runner appeared to continue on her way.
‘I still can’t believe it, I’m in shock.’ said Tucker, who is resting at home with her family, according to local ABC affiliate WSET. ‘I’m still trying to take it all in, I can’t believe it happened.’
Judges at the meet were able to see the attack and disqualified Norcom’s team for ‘contact interference’ – or physically interfering with another runner’s actions.
WSET says Tucker is currently being treated for a concussion and a possible skull fracture.
The runner’s mother, Tamarro Tucker, told the news station that no one from Norcom’s team came over to check to see if her daughter was okay.
Moreover, her mother says that no one from the team has offered any kind of apology for their runner’s behavior right after it happened.
‘No apologies. No coaches. No athlete. No anything. Even if it was an accident, which I don’t believe it was… nothing,’ Tamarro Tucker said.
Kaelen told the news station that all she wants to know is, ‘Why did you do it, and why haven’t you apologized?’
Kaelen, pictured at a meet in January, says the runner has not apologized for her actions
In a statement to WSET, the VSHL – the governing body for Virginia high school sports – said that they don’t comment on individuals or disciplinary actions, but added, ‘the actions taken by the meet director was [sic] appropriate and correct.’
They VSHL added that they were continuing to review the situation and called it ‘a serious issue, especially when it involves the safety of athletes in competitions.’
The Tucker family say they reached out to the parent of the runner who hit Kaelen and the athletic director at IC Norcom after the incident. Both have apologized on behalf of the student.
It’s not clear if the Tucker family is considering filing charges.
