Nationwide — Gavin Robinson, a 17-year-old student from Plantation, Florida, went viral after a backflip at his high school graduation ended in an accidental collision with a classmate. Both students have now shared their side of the story, saying there was no harm done.
The incident happened on June 1 during the graduation ceremony at South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida. Just before receiving his diploma, Robinson attempted a backflip on stage to celebrate. But mid-air, he accidentally crashed into Amelia, the student walking behind him. The moment was caught on video and quickly spread on TikTok, gaining nearly 4 million views.
Amelia later confirmed she was the girl in the video. “Yes, it’s me in the video,” she captioned in her post, holding her diploma, and reassured viewers she was fine. She also asked people not to send hate toward Robinson, saying he had warned her about the backflip in advance, but she got distracted.
Robinson later shared that he had planned the stunt days before and told a few friends about it. He wanted to do something bold and memorable.
“When I took off into the air and felt myself hit my classmate, I thought, ‘Oh this can’t be happening,’” he told People.
He explained that he had only met Amelia two days before, during rehearsal. After the incident, both of them laughed it off while seated at the ceremony.
Though the video brought some harsh comments online, Robinson said he doesn’t regret doing the backflip. “Looking back, I 1,000% still stand on doing the backflip because I personally think this is just as good an outcome, if not better, than if I hadn’t done it.”
He added, “And not to blame her, of course it’s equally my fault, but if she didn’t run forward, I would’ve landed it.”
Robinson said he checked on Amelia after the ceremony to make sure she was okay. Both students say there are no hard feelings and hope people can move past the moment.