A track and field race in Portsmouth, Virginia, gained widespread attention after a runner was injured in an unexpected collision. During the competition, Kaelen Tucker was accidentally struck in the head by a baton held by fellow competitor Alaila Everett.
A viral video of the incident sparked intense online reactions, with Everett facing harassment and even death threats. However, Everett, a senior at I.C. Norcom High School, insists the incident was unintentional.
“She was close enough that when I was pumping my arm, the baton kept hitting her,” Everett explained. “I lost my balance, my body turned, and as I kept moving, she ended up getting hit.”
Tucker recalled feeling contact with Everett as they raced. “Around the curve, she kept bumping my arm. Once we got off the curve, I started passing her, and that’s when she hit me with the baton,” she said. Tucker was later diagnosed with a concussion and a possible skull fracture.
Vince Pugh, a former Portsmouth public schools athletic director, weighed in, explaining that Tucker did not create enough space before moving into Everett’s lane, which is required by track regulations.
Since the incident, Everett has attempted to reach out to Tucker but found she had been blocked on Instagram. “After seeing the news, I thought, ‘She must think I did this on purpose,’ so I tried to follow her, but I was blocked,” Everett said.
As the video continues circulating, Everett hopes people will consider her perspective. “Of course, people can feel sympathy for someone who got hurt, but I just want my side of the story to be heard,” she said.
Both runners are now looking to move past the controversy and find understanding amid the intense online reaction.
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