Posted on 05/18/2026 10:20:45 AM PDT by dennisw
A North Carolina high school was left heartbroken after a brutal judging decision cost their athletes a state championship.
Mallard Creek won the boys' 4x400m relay to secure the title, only for Nyan Brown - who ran the anchor leg - to be disqualified for celebrating too early.
During the meet in Greensboro, Brown cruised down the home straight well clear of his rivals. Just a few meters from the line, he held up five fingers.
It signaled his team's fifth championship but that title was quickly ripped away from Brown and Mallard Creek after an official punished him for unsportsmanlike conduct.
That left Mallard Creek two points behind rivals Jordan High. Victory in the 4x400m - the final event of the meet - would have secured Brown and Co 10 points.
Instead, they ended up with zero. Mallard Creek reportedly launched a protest at the event, only for the call to be upheld.
'Nyan is devastated,' Bryant Bailey, the Mallard Creek athletic director, told the Charlotte Observer.
'He’s very upset, as are we. With the state championship on the line, they decided to make that call and DQ him.
'And if you go back and look at other photos and videos throughout the week, you can see multiple instances of kids celebrating way, way harder while coming across the line than what I think our young man did.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.com ...
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or as john riggins said
act like you have been there before
“I don’t see anything excessive or unsportsmanlike about that.”
He has some history of this. Warnings were issued just prior to the race.
I disagree sir, I’m so sick of all the show-boating and grandstanding in sports — at every level.
Trying to watch SEC baseball but the players are making strange gestures when they get on base, and jumping around like six-year old girls when they score a run.
Read the very LAST sentence of the article and all will be revealed. Having said that, I agree with you. Not much of a celebration and he didn’t taunt anyone because they were all BEHIND him.
Finish FIRST. THEN celebrate respectfully in a sportsmanlike way.
Important message to send. Good call.
“That poor kid burdened with guilt for a harmless gesture.”
He had been verbally warned after a previous race.
Warnings were also given just prior to this race.
He had been verbally warned after a previous race.
Warnings were also given just prior to this race.
Why?
It just looked like quiet joy, to me.
Does the judge expect a young man in that situation to force a glum look?
It’s racist to expect him to act white.
I guess he would have been penalized for smiling broadly? Looking skyward and whispering, ‘Thank you, Lord!’?
This is ridiculous.
I agree, but I am told I am not hip. It is low class trash.
I don’t see anything ‘show boating’ or ‘grandstanding’ about this simple gesture of happiness.
“That does seem excessive, and possibly biased. That poor kid burdened with guilt for a harmless gesture.”
Except the team had a previous warning earlier that day. He was flaunting that warning.
First violation - warning.
Second violation - disqualification.
Thugified ghetto culture has ruined sports.
He needs some mental health aids or needs to get laid.
Whites don’t act much better these days.
Appeal DE-nyaned.
LOL!, LOL!, LOL!, LOL!, LOL!, LOL!,L OL!, LOL!, LOL!, LOL!
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I have officiated track including each of the relay zones and the relay finish. I’ve disqualified one team when the anchor tossed the baton up in the air before the finish line to catch it on the other side. We looked at the video to make sure that he didn’t carry the stick across the line. Coach did some extra instruction for his relay teams.
No, I would not have called foul for the “celebration” as long as he kept his lane and held onto the stick.
I have officiated track including each of the relay zones and the relay finish. I’ve disqualified one team when the anchor tossed the baton up in the air before the finish line to catch it on the other side. We looked at the video to make sure that he didn’t carry the stick across the line. Coach did some extra instruction for his relay teams.
I side with the judge. Hope it proves to be a good lesson for them. Got to play by the rules.
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