It has been five years since Sha’Carri Richardson bid adieu to her alma mater, Louisiana State University. Although she spent only a year at LSU, she left making quite an impact! It was in 2018 that she joined the LSU Tigers track and field team. In just a year’s time, she was a finalist in the 60-meter dash at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships. But then came the Outdoor NCAA Division I Championships.

Sha’carri, at 19, went on to achieve the second-fastest one-day double in women’s track history! She won the 100m, clocking 10.75, which broke the 42-year-old world U20 record by Marlies Göhr. But it didn’t stop there. She then went on to win the silver in 200m, clocking 22.17! That was also a record-breaking time; she broke Allyson Felix’s U20 record from the 2004 Olympics. Just 4 days after that piece of history was created, Sha’Carri signed a professional deal with Nike and never looked back! That is until now.

Richardson returns to LSU with fellow Olympian bestie!

That’s right, Sha’Carri Richardson is coming back to where it all started. However, she is not alone! She will be joined by her LSU confidant, Mondo Duplantis! They return to the gates of the place where their dreams first started to materialize. Or as Mondo puts it, “We also both had huge dreams, and we knew that we could be in the situation that we are today, but everything happened in the way that it has, and we actually are doing what we always [hoped], manifesting what we could do.” All that was manifested is now their reality. So why are they back?

Well, the two are set to come back to LSU on November 9th. This is no ordinary date or day at LSU; it is the mother of all game days! But why? Well, it is the day that the much anticipated LSU-Alabama game is set to happen. The Tiger Stadium, during one of college football’s biggest rivalries, has decided to make the most of the moment and honor its Olympic athletes!

This is no ordinary moment. It is ESPN’s College GameDay, with over 400 drones flying around and huge crowds roaring! Let’s not forget it was the one year that Sha’Carri Richardson spent here that she became a four-time All-American and a three-time SEC champion! And Mondo? Well, he, too, left after his first year at LSU. But Mondo also won SEC and NCAA titles while also setting indoor and outdoor collegiate records (19′ 5″ and 19′ 8.25″). So what exactly is going to happen?

LSU plans to honor its former and current athletes who were at the 2024 Paris Olympics. And, of course, Sha’Carri is on the list. Sha’Carri won two medals in Paris. One was her silver in 100m clocking 10.72. And then there is, of course, the team Gold in the 4×100 relay. Remember the anchor leg moment? Sha’Carri went on to take the U.S. team from third to first. And boy-oh-boy, was it an iconic finish!

Just as she crosses the finish line, she glances at the competition and comfortably takes the win. The crowd and even commentators felt the energy at that moment. With, of course, the “Nobody beats Sha’Carri Richardson” moment becoming simply iconic! But Mondo Duplantis had an equally historic moment in Paris. He went on to make the new world record with his 6.25m vault. With that win, Mondo became the second man in pole vaulting history to win golds in two consecutive Olympics. So how did that happen?

Well, Mondo also won gold in Tokyo with a 6.02 m jump. The last time someone won two Olympic golds consecutively was in 1956, when Bob Richards was unbeatable. Now, that’s not the end of the excitement; there’s one more LSU athlete who will be joining the besties!

Sha’Carri Richardson and Mondo Duplantis share the stage with fellow LSU Olympians!

Vernon Norwood will join the bestie duo. Now, Norwood is one of the greatest names in LSU 400m track history. Remember 2015? That was Norwood’s senior year, where he went on to win NCAA indoor and outdoor titles in the 400m. He also led LSU to two national titles in the 4×400 relay while running the anchor leg. But it is not his speed in college; he is being recognized for it. It’s Paris!

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Vernon Norwood was a part of two Olympic relay teams. One was the mixed 4×400 relay team that went on to win silver. And the other is the iconic men’s 4×400 relay team. The team went on to win gold, and it is this win that LSU is honoring. LSU will make history by honoring Sha’Carri Richardson, Mondo Duplantis, and Vernon Norwood during halftime of one of its biggest games.