The Virginia High School Sprinter suffered from a concussion and a potential fracture of the skull when his competitors broke her behind her head in a relay baton while racing.
Brookville High School Junior Karen Tucker was the second leg runner in the 4x200m relay at the VHSL Class 3 State Indoor Championship held at Liberty University on Friday.
Tucker, who won silver in the girl's 55m dash early in the tournament, was about to cut lane 1 during her second place fight in the front pack.
Instead of blocking her entry, Tucker's opponent (who attended IC Norcom High School) seemed late, erecting his arm back and hitting the baton over Brookville Runner's head. An incident video.
“When we get to the other side of the truck, we have to cross lane 1. You need to merge and she cut me a bit as I was approaching her, so I retreated.” I explained it to WSLS.
“When we reached the curve she kept bumping into my arms and as I got down the curve I finally passed her.
A crowd inside Lynchburg, Virginia, heard gasp as Tucker detoured the truck, grabbed his head and fell to the ground.
Tucker's mother and team trainer rushed to the side of the sick high school student.
“It was a standout because I could feel the headaches,” Tucker said.
Tucker stopped running and pulled the team out of the race. Doctors later diagnosed her with a concussion and a “possible broken skull.”
IC Norcom has been disqualified from competition for student actions.
The discipline of quick action was not sufficient for Tucker and her family.
“They were by our side at the event. They were watching the video at the event, but no one was going to apologise or check on her,” Tucker's parents told the outlet. “Even if it was a fluke or an unusual accident, you'll still be checking out her.”
Tucker's mom, Tamaro, says she called out to the sports body.
Heritage (Lynchburg) High School, which led the race during the suspected offense, scored third heat with a time of 1:47.98, which was enough for a fifth overall finish.
In March 2022, a Florida high school runner was sucked up during the race by another student athlete who wasn't even competing at the event.
The runners attacked in a 1,600-meter race at Kissimmee Tohopekariga Tiger Invitational.
