Tucker's Dive At SEC Championships Dedicated To Mom

By Todd Grasley for DyeStat

Before the SEC Championships 400-meter hurdles final, Texas A&M junior Infinite Tucker reminisced about last year’s race and what it felt like to be the runner-up. He wanted redemption and he was determined to give everything he had to cross the line first. 

“My teammates and I wanted to score as many points as possible for the team and four of us (Justin Izu, Dewit Thomas, Robert Grant and I) made the finals,” Tucker said. “Once the gun went off, I was zoned in to each hurdle and focusing on running my own race. I was in Lane 4, inside of my teammate (Robert Grant) and outside of another hurdler from LSU. After seeing Robert and the inside competitor pass me on the last turn I immediately knew that this would be a close race.”

Tucker knew he had to give it his all over the last 100 meters. He was trailing, but all he could think about was his mom and how much he wanted to make her proud by winning the race.

“Going over the last hurdle, Robert and I were neck and neck,” he said. “I closed my eyes and visualized my mom and dove to her.”

Tucker’s dive became an internet sensation over the next 24 hours and reminded the track and field world of Shaunae Miller-Uibo’s famous gold medal leap in the 400 meters at the 2016 Olympics. Tucker crossed the line in 49.38 seconds, just ahead of teammate Grant’s 49.47 to win his first SEC outdoor title.

The junior made a promise to his mother that all the pain and suffering she did for him while he was growing up on New York’s Long Island wouldn’t go unappreciated. So in a sense, the dive was an early Mother’s Day present.

“She is my number one fan,” Tucker said. “Being a single mother of three and sacrificing her time and energy to support my siblings and me. She inspired me through her actions. She works hard and gives her all even when she’s at her lowest mentally.”

His siblings, Destiny (24) and Y’majesty (23) all have special names with special meanings. 

“My mother has always told me I was given the name Infinite because of its meaning,” he said. “My possibilities in life were endless and despite growing up being underprivileged, she never let it stop us from believing we could be great people in and out of the classroom.”

Next up for Tucker and his Texas A&M teammates is the NCAA West preliminary round. The junior is looking to improve on his eighth-place individual finish in the 400 hurdles and help the Aggies pursue a team title at the NCAA Division 1 Championships on June 5-8 in Austin, Texas.

As a high school senior at Huntington NY in 2016, Tucker won state meet titles in the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles. Then he captured the 400-meter hurdles at New Balance Nationals Outdoor as well.