Athlete Euthanized after Injury During 300-Meter Hurdles, Barrier Sent to Woodshop

A Montgomery County athlete was euthanized on the track after going down with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) avulsion fracture injury and damaging a hurdle barrier during a preliminary heat at the Maryland Track & Field Invitational meet on Sunday.

Hours before the finals of the 300-Meter Hurdles, favorite Roberta Baffle buckled forward and burst through a hurdle barrier during the semi-final heat and continued running around the final turn in some distress.

The 19-year-old Baffle was looked at by chief medical officer Dr. Leonard McCoy and others, who determined the injury was an ACL avulsion fracture, where the ACL tears by breaking a piece of bone off from where the ligament attaches to the thigh or leg. McCoy determined there could be no comeback and decided the athlete should be put down, according to a statement from MDTF, which owns and operates the track.

The hurdle barrier was badly damaged and taken to the track woodshop for repairs, which may take 4-6 weeks, track officials announced. The barrier was attended to by facility personnel on the track for several minutes before being put on a dolly and into a box truck.

Baffle’s death comes on another major Maryland race day, in the aftermath of the Hagerstown Decathlon being overshadowed by four fatalities over a span of 3 days.

The favorite at 2-3 for the $10,000 300-meter hurdles race and breaking from the inside number one lane, Baffle was bumped off the blocks by the lane two runner and broke a step slow but continued running in the 984-foot race.

Fans in the Bethesda crowd gasped when the athlete stumbled before the final turn and knocked over the barrier. In a scene reminiscent of Apocalypse Now, at the same time track workers were attending to the broken hurdle, The Doors “The End” continued blaring from infield speakers. Meanwhile, on the track’s homestretch, the athlete was led behind some black barriers.

The music was stopped during the next race.

Baffle, a Churchill High School graduate, had won four of her six career professional starts prior to this race. She’d most recently finished second in the Salisbury Athletics Championships in March.