University of Michigan track athlete Ian Hill got absolutely bodied by a barrier at the Big Ten track and field championships. He flipped completely upside down during the steeplechase.
Photographer Kirby Lee captured one of the best sports image sequences of all-time!
Hill, a junior, runs distance events in track and field as well as cross country. He typically competes in the indoor 1500m, 3000m and 5000m, outdoor 1500m, 3000m and 5000m, and cross country 5K and 8K.
However it is the steeplechase where he really shines for the Wolverines. Ian Hill ran the event in Eugene over the weekend but it was not his best showing.
The steeplechase event, for those who do not know, requires runners to navigate 28 barriers and seven water jumps over 3,000 meters. The water jump is a pit filled with water that athletes must clear after they jump over a fixed barrier. The pit is 12 feet long. It has a depth of two feet, four inches at its deepest point. It gradually becomes more shallow.
Hill was unable to clear the water jump during the Steeplechase final at the Big Ten Championships. He tripped right before his jump, got bodied by the barrier and flipped head-first into the pool below.
Here's the video of Michigan's Ian Hill getting bodied by the barrier in the Big Ten Championships steeplechace.
— College Sports Only 🏈 🏀 ⚾️ (@CollegeSportsO) May 18, 2025
Bro took it like a champ & got right back in the race. 🫡 https://t.co/OzNohHCCCX pic.twitter.com/Usgp4Tgv2u
Even though Hill was ultimately listed as DNF in the final results, he got right back up after the crash and tried to keep going. It was a resilient effort that proved costly at the end.
Although the collision was unfortunate, it led to an incredible sequence of images. They show him go head-first over the barrier into the water below.
The fall even got the ‘Art But Make It Sports‘ treatment. A rough show for Ian Hill and Michigan during the steeplechase at the Big Ten Track and Field Championships proved to be a fantastic day for photographers.