Brooklyn Anderson, a student at Thurston High School, won the girls’ 5A 100-meter hurdles competition at the Oregon State Track Championships by tumbling her way to the top.
Anderson won the state title in 14.93 seconds. She was seen leading comfortably before tripping over the final hurdle and somersaulting twice over the finish line in a viral video posted to Milesplit’s Instagram page. The video has had over 47 million views and counting.
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“All I remember is resorting back to my gymnastics career,” she told the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), stating that although it was a frightening moment, her previous tumbling experience undoubtedly played a role.
“I wasn’t sure how far back everybody else was behind me, so I just knew to just keep rolling. I was just so proud, just very, very happy. Nobody’s ever cheered for me that loud before.”
Even though it wasn’t a personal best, it was one of the most thrilling finishes, and it felt like a natural fit for her to cross the line as a former gymnast.
Her remarkable action shows some resemblance to Infinite Tucker’s. During the 2019 SEC Track & Field Championships, Tucker, a junior at Texas A&M University at the time, went all “Superman” to the finish line.
As their championship race came to a close, Tucker and partner Robert Grant were tied after overcoming each hurdle. So, Tucker jumped with his arms out and beat Grant by a nose as they got close to the finish line. The New York native crashed to the ground but won a gold medal for his last-second jump.
According to CBS, Texas A&M stated that Tucker’s final time of 49.38 seconds was one of the school’s best. Tucker was particularly excited for the win because he came in second in the championship race the previous year.
