Virginia High School Runner Hit In Head With Baton During Race

A Virginia high school sprinter was left with a concussion and a possible skull fracture after being struck in the back of the head with a relay baton by another competitor during a state championship race.

Kaelen Tucker, a junior at Brookville High School, was running the second leg of the 4x200 meter relay at the VHSL Class 3 State Indoor Championships, held at Liberty University on Friday.

Earlier in the meet, Tucker had earned a silver medal in the girls’ 55-meter dash. During the relay, she was attempting to move into the inside lane while competing for second place as she rounded the fourth turn.

Rather than blocking her from merging, an athlete from IC Norcom High School appeared to slow down, pull her arm back, and swing her baton into the back of Tucker’s head, according to video footage from the event.

Tucker explained to WSLS, “When we were moving toward lane one, I was trying to merge in. She kind of cut me off a little, so I backed off. Then, on the curve, she kept bumping my arm. When I finally passed her after the curve, that’s when she hit me with the baton.”

Spectators at the venue in Lynchburg, Virginia, audibly gasped as Tucker clutched her head and veered off the track, eventually collapsing. Her mother and team trainers immediately rushed to help.

“I could feel a headache coming on right away, so I stopped,” Tucker said.

She was unable to finish the race, forcing her team to withdraw. A doctor later confirmed she had a concussion and a possible fracture to her skull.

As a result of the incident, IC Norcom’s relay team was disqualified. However, Tucker and her family said they were disappointed that neither the other runner nor her coach offered an apology.

“They were standing near us, watching the video at the meet,” Tucker’s parents told reporters. “But no one came over to check on her or say anything. Even if it was an accident, you would expect someone to ask how she was doing.”

Tucker’s mother, Tamarro, said she contacted the event’s governing body, which has since opened an investigation into the matter.

The relay team from Heritage High School (Lynchburg), which was leading the race before the incident, won their heat with a time of 1:47.98 and finished fifth overall.

A similar incident occurred in March 2022, when a Florida high school runner was punched by another student during a 1,600-meter race at the Tohopekaliga Tiger Invitational in Kissimmee, resulting in a concussion.