Virginia High School Sprinter Suffers Concussion After Being Struck with Baton During Race [WATCH]

A high school track meet in Virginia took a shocking turn when a runner was struck in the head with a relay baton by a competitor, leaving her with a concussion and a possible skull fracture.

Brookville High School junior Kaelen Tucker was competing in the 4×200 meter relay during the VHSL Class 3 State Indoor Championships at Liberty University on Friday when the incident occurred.

Tucker, who had already secured a silver medal in the girls’ 55-meter dash earlier in the meet, was running the second leg of the relay when she attempted to move into lane one while rounding the fourth turn.

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According to video footage of the race, a competitor from IC Norcom High School initially appeared to block Tucker’s entry into the lane before suddenly slowing down, pulling her arm back, and striking Tucker in the back of the head with her baton.

“When we get onto the other side of the track we have to cross to lane one, you have to merge in, and as I was coming up on her she kind of made me get cut off a little bit so I backed away,” Tucker told WSLS.

“When we got to the curve she kept bumping me in my arm and when we got off the curve I finally passed her and that was when she hit me with the baton.”

Spectators inside the Lynchburg facility reacted with audible gasps as Tucker veered off the track, clutching her head before collapsing to the ground. Her mother and team trainers quickly rushed to her side.

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“I could feel a headache coming up, so I just stood out,” Tucker said.

The injury forced Tucker to withdraw from the race, eliminating her team from competition. A doctor later diagnosed her with a concussion and a “possible fractured skull.”

Officials disqualified IC Norcom High School from the event, but the swift disciplinary action did little to satisfy Tucker’s family.

They expressed frustration that neither the IC Norcom coach nor the runner involved had reached out to apologize or check on Tucker’s condition.

“They were beside us at the event. They were watching the video at the event, but no one apologized or came to check on her,” Tucker’s parents told WSLS.

“Even if it was a fluke or freak accident, you still would check on her.”

Tucker’s mother, Tamarro, contacted event organizers, prompting an official investigation into the incident.

Heritage High School (Lynchburg), which had been leading the race at the time of the incident, went on to win the third heat with a time of 1:47.98, securing an overall fifth-place finish.

This is not the first time a high school track event has been marred by violence.

In March 2022, a Florida high school runner was punched in the middle of a 1,600-meter race at the Tohopekaliga Tiger Invitational in Kissimmee by a non-competing student-athlete, resulting in a concussion.

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