Watch Oregon high school track star somersault over finish line, win first place

USA Today

06-06-2025

Watch Oregon high school track star somersault over finish line, win first place "I wasn't sure how far back everybody else was behind me, so I knew to just keep rolling, to keep going, because I really wanted to get first," Brooklyn Anderson told a local outlet.
A high school Oregon track star somersaulted her way through the state championship finish line last week.
Brooklyn Anderson, a junior at Thurston High School, turned heads during her somersault finish in the girls' 100-meter hurdles at the Oregon State Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on May 30. To much surprise, Anderson tumbled in at first place. Thurston High School is located in Springfield, Oregon, about 120 miles south of Portland.
Footage captured by the National Federation of State High School Associations shows Anderson, who was already ahead in the race, tripping and performing a double somersault across the finish line. She won the race with a final time of 14.93 seconds. The second-place runner, Maisy Scanlan from Wilsonville High School, came in at 15.15 seconds, according to the Oregon School Activities Association.
"All I remember is resorting back to my gymnastics career and just somersaulting over that line," Anderson told The Oregonian after her race. "I wasn't sure how far back everybody else was behind me, so I knew to just keep rolling, to keep going, because I really wanted to get first."
Celebrating the win, Anderson shared a photo and video of her somersault finish on Instagram.
"Wow, what a memorable season," Anderson wrote in the Instagram post. "Year 3 is one for the books. Thank you everybody for the support, and especially thank you to the most amazing heat of girls a girl could finish a race with. You guys are awesome. GO COLTS #jryear #somersault #track #100mhurdles."
The 500-meter hurdles weren't the only event Anderson competed in. She also placed fourth in the girls' 100-meter race, third in girls' long jump and 10th in the girls' 4-by-100-meter relay, per the Oregon School Activities Association.
Watch high school track star somersault to a first-place finish
High school track athlete somersaults to victory
A high school track athlete competing in a championship 100m hurdles race rolled her way to victory after she tripped near the finish line.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at [e-mail].