Nine Tigers Past and Present Set to Compete at World Championships

BUDAPEST, Hungary – LSU Track & Field will be well-represented at the World Athletics Championships this week, as four athletes from the 2023 team and five former Tigers will be competing for their respective countries starting this Saturday, August 19.

Final entry lists for the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 confirm that more than 2,100 athletes from 202 teams intend to compete at Hungary’s new National Athletics Center between August 19-27.

Of the 44 individual winners from the 2022 edition in Oregon, 38 are entered to defend their titles in Budapest, with Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis (pole vault) among the world record-holders who return to target back-to-back world title triumphs.

World Athletics will offer a total prize amount of $8,498,000 to the top eight finishers in each event with the following breakdown by place: $70k (1^st), 35k (2^nd), 22k (3^rd), 16k (4^th), 11k (5^th), 7k (6^th), 6k (7^th), and 5k (8^th). For relay events the breakdown per team includes: $80k (1^st), 40k (2^nd), 20k (3^rd), 16k (4^th), 12k (5^th), 8k (6^th), 6k (7^th), and 4k (8^th).

The four stars from the 2023 LSU team heading to Budapest will be Favour Ofili, Ella Onojuvwevwo, Shakeem McKay, and Claudio Romero.

Star Girl, junior Favour Ofili, is one of two Tigers set to represent Nigeria on the world stage. The Port Harcourt, Nigeria, native is set to compete in the 200 meter and 4×100-meter relay. She hold’s a personal-best time of 21.96 seconds in the 200m from last year, and recorded a time of 22.58 in an injury-riddled 2023 season. Ofili will be a major boost for Nigeria’s relay squad, having won SEC Championship gold this year despite the LSU relay team being without two runners a majority of the outdoor season.

Also representing Nigeria is the All-American freshman, Ella Onojuvwevwo. The Ughelli, Nigeria, native is heading to her first major world championship to run with the 4×400-meter relay team after an amazing first season with the Tigers. Onojuvwevwo previously won World U20 gold twice for Nigeria back in 2021 when she was a part of their 4×400 and 4×400-mixed teams. This season she’s clocked a personal-best time of 51.85 in the 400 meter, and recorded a 4×400 best of 3:27.60 in July with her Nigerian teammates.

Another freshman competing on the world stage will be Shakeem McKay representing Trinidad & Tobago. The Laventille, Trinidad & Tobago, native is set to compete in the men’s 4×400 after finishing top three in the 400m at T&T’s National Championship earlier this summer. McKay set his new 400m PR at that meet with a time of 46.40 seconds. Last season Shakeem helped his country earn a fifth-place finish in the 4×400 with a time of 3:00.03, and will look to medal in his second World Championship.

Senior Claudio Romero will compete for Chile at the World Championships for the second time in his young career. Last season Romero finished 20^th at Hayward Field with a distance of 61.69 meters in discus throw. The Santiago, Chile, native will be heading into Budapest with a PR of 67.02m, and a SB distance of 64.03m. His distance of 64.03 in discus this July earned him his first South American Championship title and his second national medal overall.

The five Tiger alumni representing at the World Championships are Mondo Duplantis, Natoya Goule, JuVaughn Harrison, Vernon Norwood, and Sha’Carri Richardson.

The number one ranked athlete in the world and the greatest pole vaulter to walk the planet, Mondo Duplantis, will represent Sweden in his third World Athletics Championship. Duplantis heads into this week as the reigning World Champion, reigning Olympic Champion, and the world-record holder. Duplantis holds an outdoor PR of 6.21 meters and a SB vault of 6.12 meters. Earlier this year in February, Duplantis set the overall world record of 6.22 meters in France.

Representing Jamaica once again is Natoya Goule, who will be racing in the women’s 800 meter and the 4×400. The Jamaican 800-meter record holder has finished top eight at three different World Championships and Olympics. Goule holds a PR of 1:56.15 in the 800 from 2018 when she set her national record. This season Natoya recorded a time of 1:57.61 at Olympic Stadium in London, which ranks fourth in the world this season.

The number one ranked high jumper in the world, JuVaughn Harrison, will be representing the United States of America in his third major championship meet. This season the 24-year-old USA champion has gone undefeated in high jump and holds an SB of 2.35 meters. Last year the Huntsville, Ala., native finished in in ninth at the World Championships in Eugene, Ore, with a height of 2.33m. In order to take gold, it will most likely require Harrison to reach new heights and possibly beating his PR of 2.36 meters from 2021.

The veteran of the Tigers heading to Budapest, Vernon Norwood, will be looking to medal in the men’s 400 meter for Team USA. The Morgan City, La., native will be making his third-individual appearance at a major world championship. Norwood is currently ranked third in the world for the 400m, holding a SB time of 44.39 seconds this year. Norwood is also part of USA’s 400-meter relay pool.

Lastly, Sha’Carri Richardson is set to represent the USA in both the 100m and 200m, while also being part of the team’s 4×100-meter relay pool. The young track star is not back, but she most definitely is better. Richardson has record new personal-best times of 10.71 seconds and 21.94 seconds in her main events this season. The Dallas, Texas, native also earned her first national title, taking gold in Eugene for the women’s 100m in July. This will be her first major championship appearance individually.

The World Championships will be available for viewing on NBC, NBC Sports, CNBC, USA Network, and Peacock. A full schedule of the Tigers’ events is below, listed in central time.

Saturday, August 19 (Day 1)

4:05 a.m. | Natoya Goule (JAM) and Ella Onojuvwevwo (NGR) – Mixed 4×400-Meter Relay Heats

12:10 p.m. | Claudio Romero (CHI) – Men’s Discus Throw Group A Qualification

– Or –

1:40 p.m. | Claudio Romero (CHI) – Men’s Discus Throw Group B Qualification

2:47 p.m. | Natoya Goule (JAM) and Ella Onojuvwevwo (NGR) – Mixed 4×400-Meter Relay Final

Sunday, August 20 (Day 2)

3:25 a.m. | Vernon Norwood (USA) – Men’s 400-Meter Heats

3:35 a.m. | JuVaughn Harrison (USA) – Men’s High Jump Qualification

5:10 a.m. | Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) – Women’s 100-Meter Heats

Monday, August 21 (Day 3)

1:30 p.m. | Claudio Romero (CHI) – Men’s Discus Throw Final

1:35 p.m. | Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) – Women’s 100-Meter Semi-Final

2:50 p.m. | Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) – Women’s 100-Meter Final

Tuesday, August 22 (Day 4)

12:55 p.m. | JuVaughn Harrison (USA) – Men’s High Jump Final

2:00 p.m. | Vernon Norwood (USA) – Men’s 400-Meter Semi-Final

Wednesday, August 23 (Day 5)

3:05 a.m. | Natoya Goule (JAM) – Women’s 800-Meter Heats

3:15 a.m. | Mondo Duplantis (SWE) – Men’s Pole Vault Qualification

5:05 a.m. | Favour Ofili (NGR) and Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) – Women’s 200-Meter Heats

Thursday, August 24 (Day 6)

12:45 p.m. | Favour Ofili (NGR) and Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) – Women’s 200-Meter Semi-Final

2:35 p.m. | Vernon Norwood (USA) – Men’s 400-Meter Final

Friday, August 25 (Day 7)

1:00 p.m. | Favour Ofili (NGR) and Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) – Women’s 4×100-Meter Relay Heats

1:25 p.m. | Natoya Goule (JAM) – Women’s 800-Meter Semi-Final

2:40 p.m. | Favour Ofili (NGR) and Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) – Women’s 200-Meter Final

Saturday, August 26 (Day 8)

12:25 p.m. | Mondo Duplantis (SWE) – Men’s Pole Vault Final

12:30 p.m. | Shakeem McKay (TTO) and Vernon Norwood (USA) – Men’s 4×400-Meter Relay Heats

12:55 p.m. | Ella Onojuvwevwo (NGR) – Women’s 4×400-Meter Relay Heats

2:50 p.m. | Favour Ofili (NGR) and Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) – Women’s 4×100-Meter Relay Final

Sunday, August 27 (Day 9)

1:45 p.m. | Natoya Goule (JAM) – Women’s 800-Meter Final

2:37 p.m. | Shakeem McKay (TTO) and Vernon Norwood (USA) – Men’s 4×400-Meter Relay Final

2:47 p.m. | Ella Onojuvwevwo (NGR) – Women’s 4×400-Meter Relay Final

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