Vernon Norwood Season 2025
Vernon Norwood’s LSU Student-Athlete Bio
On February 3rd of 2022, LSU Track & Field Head Coach Dennis Shaver announced that former LSU sprinter, World-Record holder and three-time Olympic medalist Vernon Norwood had joined his staff as a volunteer assistant. The 2024-25 season will mark Norwood’s fourth year assisting the program.
The Morgan City, La., native is fresh off of a 2024 tour that saw him earn two medals at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, tying LSU alum Sylvia Fowles for the most Olympic medals in the school’s history at four. Assisting the men’s 4×400-meter relay, Norwood was saw as the leader of the group and possibly the biggest reason they took gold as he clocked a split of 43.30 seconds in the final to lead Team USA through the line. In the mixed 4×400-meter relay, Norwood led Team USA with a split of 44.47 seconds as they set the new world record of 3:07.41 in the Olympic heats prior to them earning silver in the final a day later.
Prior to the 2024 Paris Olympics, Norwood has made a name for himself with seven World Indoor and Outdoor Championship appearances, as well as two Olympic appearances. In total the veteran 400-meter runner has earned eight gold medals between the World Championships, World Relays and the Olympics, and has also earned four silver and bronze medals in those competitions.
During his time as a student-athlete at LSU, Norwood won four NCAA titles and was an eight-time UTFCCCA First Team All-American. He swept NCAA indoor and outdoor titles in the 400-meter dash during his senior season in 2015 to become the 14th sprinter in NCAA history to achieve the feat. He anchored LSU to NCAA titles in the 4×400-meter relay at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships and 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships.