Attack/accident during track meet

Not trying to turn this into Sports Journalists/Virginia High School Track and Field.com ...

For some reason, I've been getting peppered with notifications about this story, where a runner in a relay at the indoor state championships was injured after being struck by the baton of a runner she was passing. Injuries were a concussion and "possible" fractured skull.

The dispute comes from whether you can call this intentional, which the video sure seems to support, and the other runner's insistence that it was just an accident.

Athlete defends herself after hitting competitor with baton in race

And now an assault and battery charge: MSN

 

As a former track athlete, I can say with conviction that was 100 percent intentional.

 

"Accident" come on.
USA 2025 just keep repeating your lie that it was accidental until the story goes away.

 

Holy shit, it's hilarious that she's even trying to sell that as an accident.

And I've never held a relay baton -- how heavy are those things? I assumed really light aluminum -- that was a pretty good whack, but I'm surprised by the extent of the injuries.

 

From my memory, they are very light. Surely not enough to cause a fractured skull, but a whack of that velocity could definitely cause a concussion, I'm betting (not a doctor).

Saw the one runner explained it away by saying the baton got caught behind the other runner's back, and it rolled up her back, then when she pumped her arms, the other runner "got hit."

Not seeing that anywhere in the video.

Feels like a plea of "what you saw on the video isn't who I am."

 

Yeah, you can try to rationalize your arm movements and balance and all that stuff, but now explain how you reared back your right arm for an extra two counts for the swing that struck the other runner's head.

“And heeeere's the wind-up ... ”

 

I ran track, it’s as light as can be and no way that’s an accident.

As they say in the NBA, that's not a natural (running) motion.

 

It looked like she reared back and swung at the girl twice. An accident, my ass.

 

Argue it's not that heavy, as some undoubtedly will, but the athlete holding it is also running, so there's a little extra oomph.

 

The windup is the issue. No way that windup is part of anybody’s natural running motion.

 

"Who you gonna believe, me or your lyin' eyes?" Plainly obvious windup and blow to the head.

 

The baton was made of wood back in the days when the track ran uphill both ways. I think the ones we had came from our shop teacher.