A celebratory gesture at the finish line turned into controversy Saturday after Mallard Creek High School sprinter Nyan Brown was disqualified during the final event of the North Carolina State Track and Field Championships, costing his team the overall title.
Brown, a senior and N.C. State signee, anchored Mallard Creek's boys 4x400-meter relay team at the Class 8A state championships at North Carolina A&T State University. As he approached the finish line with a comfortable lead, Brown raised five fingers in the air before crossing first.
Officials ruled the gesture violated sportsmanship rules and disqualified the relay team for unsportsmanlike conduct under National Federation of State High School Associations guidelines.
The disqualification erased the relay victory and dropped Mallard Creek from first to second place in the final team standings. Durham Jordan High School won the state championship by two points.
Brown later said the gesture was intended to symbolize what would have been Mallard Creek's fifth consecutive state title across indoor and outdoor competition.
"Anyone who has competed against me over the last nine years knows that I have always competed with respect for the sport," Brown wrote in a statement posted to social media. "I would never intentionally taunt another athlete."
The decision quickly drew national attention after video of the finish circulated online, prompting criticism from athletes, coaches and fans who questioned whether the punishment was excessive.
Mallard Creek coach Samuel Willoughby disputed officials' claims that Brown had previously been warned earlier in the meet after celebrating a victory in the 300-meter hurdles.
Earlier in the day, Brown set a North Carolina state record in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 35.96 seconds.
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association defended the ruling, saying officials acted within established rules governing taunting and unsportsmanlike behavior.
Mallard Creek has appealed the disqualification through the state's Independent Interscholastic Athletic Appeals Board, which is expected to review the case in the coming weeks.
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A celebratory gesture at the finish line turned into controversy Saturday after Mallard Creek High School sprinter Nyan Brown was disqualified during the final event of the North Carolina State Track and Field Championships, costing his team the overall title.
Brown, a senior and N.C. State signee, anchored Mallard Creek's boys 4x400-meter relay team at the Class 8A state championships at North Carolina A&T State University. As he approached the finish line with a comfortable lead, Brown raised five fingers in the air before crossing first.
