A viral video appears to show a high school track athlete strike her opponent in the head with a metal baton. The video has sparked condemnation from far and wide with some calling for the young lady to be arrested. Both sides of the incident have spoken out to the media, although much of the mainstream media has only covered the side of the person who was hit.
The race took place during the 4×200 meter relay at the VHSL Class 3 State Indoor Championships in Lynchburg, Virginia. Alaila Everett, the young lady with the baton, attends I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth. The young lady who was hit, Kaelen Tucker, attends Brookville High School in Lynchburg. Everett is a decorated athlete without any known disciplinary issues.
Everett says the video circulating on social media does look purposeful but it was truly a mistake. The explanation is that Tucker attempted to pass Everett from the outside lane without the appropriate amount of distance to do so. This caused Everett to bump into Tucker a couple of times with the final time resulting in her baton getting tangled up. Everett appeared to stumble when the baton got tangled up. As Everett continues to try and run through the tangle, she has to pump her arms with the baton in one of her hands. The continued pumping of the arms combined with the lack of appropriate distance between the two runners appears to be what caused the “strike” to take place.
SOURCES:
I.C. Norcom track star speaks out after hitting opponent in head with baton | WAVY.com
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