New footage has emerged showing a different angle of the moment a junior sprinter was struck by a rival with a baton during a relay race in the United States.
Last week, in the American state of Virginia, a VHSL Class 3 State Indoor Championships 4x200-metre relay race featured students from a number of local high schools.
But the race, specifically the final moments, ended up going viral online as when Brookville High School's Kaelen Tucker appeared to be hit with a baton by Alaila Everett as she tried to dart past her during the second leg.
Tucker stumbled off the track holding her head and was not able to finish the race. The Norcom team, who Everett represented, were disqualified due to contact interference.
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Tucker, who suffered a "slight concussion" and was being checked for a potential skull fracture, sat down with WSET ABC News on Thursday to discuss the incident.
"As we were coming up to the middle of the curve, we were bumping arms a lot," Tucker recalled.
"So I got more on the outside of the curve to go around her. When I finally pushed through to get in front of her, that's when she hit me in the head with a baton.
"I was so in disbelief. I didn't know what happened - I just got hit in the head and fell off the track.
"No-one [from the opposition], at the time, came up and checked on me or anything."
The VHSL (Virginia High School League) opened an investigation after being notified of the incident by Tucker's mother but Everett has now given her side of the story and claims she did not strike her intentionally.
"After a couple times of hitting her with my baton, I got stuck behind her back and [the baton] rolled up her back," she told WAVYTV10 in an interview released on Monday.
"I lost my balance, and when I pumped my arms again, she got hit. I know my intentions and I would never hit somebody on purpose."
Watch the clip below:
Slow-mo footage from the race played as she explained the race and a new angle showing the incident from behind appeared to back up Everett's claim that there was an accidental collision.
Everett was visibly distressed and emotional in the interview and revealed she has receive abuse, racist remarks and death threats following on from the video blowing up.
She added: "Everybody has feelings, so you're physically hurt but you are not thinking about my mental health, right? They are going off of one angle.
"They're assaulting my character, calling me ghetto, racist slurs, death threats, all of this, just because of a nine second video."
Tucker's mother was not happy that that Everett or her team coach did not check on her daughter or reach out to her afterwards, though the youngster claims she did attempt to get in touch on social - only to find out she had been blocked.
Topics: Athletics
Josh Lawless