Runner overtakes competitor: how she reacts is staggering
Lynchburg (USA) - It doesn't get much more unfair than this! An overtaking maneuver at the high school championships in the USA ended extremely painfully for relay runner Kaelen Tucker (16), because her competitor suddenly reacted with an inexplicable action.
The junior athlete from Brookville High School was competing in the 4x200 meter relay when she left fellow competitor Alaila Everett from IC Norcom High School behind.
But her opponent clearly didn't like that at all. All of a sudden she lunged and slammed her baton on the back of Tucker's head!
The 16-year-old immediately dropped her own baton and grabbed the spot where she had been hit before falling to the ground at the side of the track.
"I felt the baton on my head and then I immediately fell over," the young athlete told the 6abc news channel afterwards.
The talented runner was then also examined for a skull fracture, but fortunately she came away with a concussion.
The competition was over for the rival and her team, the referees saw the unbelievable attack and disqualified Everett and her school. However, the batterer has not yet apologized to Tucker.
Alaila Everett denies intentional punch
As the mother of the beating victim explained, neither the perpetrator nor her coaches approached Tucker or her family afterwards to pray for forgiveness or at least ask about the athlete's state of health.
Only the disqualified runner's father and the Norcom High School athletic director have apologized for the attack.
In an interview with WAVY TV 10, however, Everett tearfully claimed that the hit was not intentional. Tucker allegedly stepped on her foot while overtaking her, and then accidentally hit her competitor while struggling for balance.
She would also apologize, but Tucker is said to have been unresponsive and blocked her on social media.
"Everyone has feelings, you may be physically hurt, but no one is thinking about my mental health," Everett explained.
Meanwhile, the Virginia High School League announced that it would investigate the case thoroughly.