High school hurdler bounces back from a fall to seal an incredible victory

The 100-meter hurdles event is the most unforgiving race in women's track and field. Hurdlers are always just one mistake away from disaster. A classic example came in the 100-meter hurdles final at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, when American favorite, Lolo Jones, clipped the penultimate hurdle while leading and wound-up finishing 7th.

So, when race favorite, Abby Dennis of Old Tappan High School, crashed to the track in her heat at the Bergen County Championships in New Jersey, her prospects looked bleak. But the gutsy hurdler would turn a catastrophe into a triumph.

Watch the video above to see a young hurdler's epic comeback.

Though she was face down in last place, Abby jumped up without hesitating and took off on what looked like a futile chase. But Abby had no quit in her, and fought her way back to the front of the field, crossing the line in first place to claim a miraculous victory.

"When I knew I didn't hurt anything, I knew that I had to redeem myself because no one wants to go out like that in counties," Dennis told nj.com after the race. "I wanted to prove that I'm the top seed for a reason and wanted to show that I finish no matter what, and the adrenaline helped me."

The win left the crowd and her coach stunned.

"She could have quit, but she knew she had to make finals, so she jumped right up," said Old Tappan girls team coach, David Burns. "She's fearless and will attack any workout with the attitude that she'll win that workout," said Burns. "I told her this proves how good she is."

And Abby wasn't done for the day, as an hour later, she went on to win the final by more than a second, running 14.28 seconds to become the fourth-fastest female hurdler in Bergen County Championship history.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: High school hurdler beats the odds to earn a sensational comeback win