High school athlete’s hand gesture costs Charlotte track and field team state title

–

A Charlotte high school track and field team is disqualified from the state championships due to an athlete’s hand gesture as he crossed the finish line.

High School OT recorded the moment Nyan Brown crossed the finish line to win the 4×400 relay for the Mallard Creek High School Mavericks. In the video, Brown can be seen holding his hand up in celebration right before crossing the line.

Mallard Creek High School principal Dr. Jared Thompson told High School OT that the school is submitting a written appeal and grievance on Monday to the NCHSAA Board of Directors and Commissioner Que Tucker.

Officials at the event said Mallard Creek had received a warning after Brown flexed toward photographers after winning the 300m hurdles earlier in the day. Brown’s hand gesture was the team’s second violation and resulted in the disqualification, costing the team what would have been their third-straight track title.

The NCHSAA 8A Track and Field State Championships were held May 13-16 at the Marcus T. Johnson Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. Since the video was shared by HSOT, it has garnered the attention of national news outlets, including The Athletic and Yahoo Sports.

North Carolina High School Athletic Association commissioner Que Tucker said, “Judgment decisions made by meet officials are done with the full knowledge of NFHS Track & Field Rules as well as rules and expectations of the NCHSAA relative to unsporting behavior and actions. We recognize there is deep disappointment experienced by the student-athletes, coaches, and the school community involved.”

Brown’s hand gesture is one used widely by athletes; however, track athletes are typically not permitted to celebrate during the race. The Athletic reports Brown made the gesture during the final 2-3 seconds of the race, which disqualified his team.

–

Source: High school athlete’s hand gesture costs Charlotte track and field team state title