US Teen Athlete Charged With Assault After Hitting Rival's Head With Baton, Dubbed 'Tonya Harding 2.0'

A high school sports event in the United States took a violent turn when a teenage athlete allegedly struck a competitor with a baton, leading to assault charges. The incident has drawn comparisons to the notorious Tonya Harding scandal, with the accused now being dubbed 'Tonya Harding 2.0.'

Footage of the moment, which took place during a relay race in Virginia, has caused widespread controversy. The athlete at the centre of the incident is now speaking out in her defence.

Baton Incident Sparks Controversy

Alaila Everett, a senior at I.C. Norcom High School, claims she didn't intend to hurt Kaelen Tucker of Brookville High School, whom she struck while running the 4x200 relay's second leg at the Virginia State High School League Indoor State Championships in Lynchburg on 4th March.

'I would never do that on purpose,' Everett said in a Tuesday interview with Good Morning America. 'That's not in my character.' The video, which spread rapidly online, captures Tucker veering off the track and falling, still holding her baton, after the impact.

Speaking to Good Morning America nearly a week after the incident, Tucker recounted, 'That's when she hit me with the baton.' She added: 'I just felt a bang on my head and immediately fell off the track.' Doctors examined Tucker post-meet and found she had a concussion and potentially a fractured skull, as reported by WSLS10.

According to GMA, Leslie Young, the athletic director at I.C. Norcom High School, has since apologised to the Tuckers on behalf of the Everetts. While a Zoom meeting was proposed for the girls to discuss the matter, ABC13 states it hasn't been arranged. The Virginia State High School League is presently investigating the event.

Tonya Harding Comparisons After Baton Incident

Everett's actions have triggered a storm of online backlash, with numerous individuals comparing her to Tonya Harding and some dubbing her 'Tonya Harding 2.0.' With a harsh call for a lifetime ban, X user The Captain posted, 'It's Tonya Harding 2.0. Ban that chick from competition for life,' a statement underscoring the intense comparisons and demands for severe punishment.

The online vitriol intensified, with comments like 'Disney's Tonya Harding 2.0,' demonstrating the level of condemnation. Further, an X user's statement, 'This is Tonya Harding 2.0, IMO. She should, at a minimum, be charged with assault and the intent to injure! We must ensure that this NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN!' illustrates the strong demand for legal action and preventative measures.

Harding's Legacy And Everett's Incident

The intense online comparisons to Tonya Harding raise the question: What parallels exist between this high school incident and the figure skating scandal that shocked the world decades ago?

At the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, just weeks before the Winter Olympics, Nancy Kerrigan, a leading American skater, was violently attacked, her knee struck with a club, shattering her Olympic dreams.

The investigation uncovered a shocking plot: Tonya Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, and her bodyguard, Shawn Eckardt, had orchestrated the attack, hiring Shane Stant to injure Kerrigan.

While she maintained her innocence, Harding's legal troubles concluded with a conviction for hindering the investigation. According to a report by PEOPLE, her punishment included three years of probation, 500 hours of community service, a $160,000 fine, and a permanent expulsion from the U.S. Figure Skating Association.

Even thirty-one years later, the scandal remains a cultural touchstone. Its story is cemented in popular memory, notably through a 2017 biopic starring Margot Robbie as the controversial Harding.

Parallels Emerge: Denials And Disputes

Just as Harding insisted on her lack of involvement in the Kerrigan attack, Everett offers her own explanation for the baton incident, claiming it was an unintentional consequence of a collision on the track.

'We get to the curve, and I feel someone coming up on me,' Everett told ABC13 on Monday night. I'm running, and she's just getting closer and closer to the point where she's up on me. My baton is - her elbow, like her arm is literally hitting my baton so I lost balance.'

Everett explained that the contact occurred as both runners attempted to exit the curve. 'My arm goes up her back, and my body twisted. The curve is this way, and I have to run that way, so I'm like this in the air,' Everett said.

'I catch my balance and pump my arms. She's cutting in, and so when I pumped my arms, she got hit. I'm sorry she got hit, but I didn't do it intentionally,' she explained. Following the incident, Everett's track team faced disqualification, and she has been the target of intense online hostility since the video's widespread circulation.

Many threats, death threats, racist people. People making fake accounts to talk and harass me on my page,' Everett said in the interview. Speaking with ABC13, Everett's father, Genoa, expressed his conviction that his daughter's actions were accidental, emphasising she would never 'do something like this.'

Legal Action: Protective Order Issued

Just as Harding faced legal scrutiny in the wake of the Kerrigan attack, the Liberty University Police Department has filed a protective order in Lynchburg following this incident, as reported by ABC13. Good Morning America' reported that the Everett family received the order and were summoned to appear in court.

According to Everett's statement to ABC13, she sought to apologise to Tucker through social media, only to discover she was blocked and her messages were undeliverable.

According to WSLS10, while the Tucker family acknowledged apologies from Everett's father and the school's athletic director, they remain hopeful for apologies from Everett herself and her coach.

'They were beside us at the event. They were watching the video at the event, but no one apologised or came to check on her,' the Tuckers told the outlet. 'Even if it was a fluke or freak accident, you still would check on her.'