LSU Track & Field will be well-represented at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games the next two weeks as six athletes from the 2024 team and eight former Tigers will be competing for their respective countries starting this Friday, August 2nd.
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The athletics program of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games runs from August 1st to 11th. In-stadium events will take place at the Stade de France, which has had a purple Mondo track fitted especially for the Games. The stadium, which is in Saint-Denis just north of Paris, has a capacity of 77,083 when staging athletics events.
More than 2,000 athletes from some 200 teams have been entered, although those entry figures include reserves. The entries include 36 of the gold medalists from the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, including pole vault favorite, Mondo Duplantis. World Athletics announced they will reward each of the gold medalists with $50,000 in prize money.
The six stars from the 2024 LSU team in Paris for the Olympic games are Thelma Davies, Tima Godbless, Shakeem McKay, Godson Oghenebrume, Ella Onojuvwevwo and Claudio Romero.
Senior Thelma Davies is set to represent Liberia for the first time in her Olympic debut after recently changing over from the United States. Born a refugee baby, Davies has rose to stardom in 2024 as she reached new personal-best times of 10.92 seconds in the 100 meter and 22.17 seconds in the 200 meter, both being pending Liberian national records. She is set to compete in both events (100m, 200m), with the 100m kicking off on Friday.
Freshman Tima Godbless is another Tiger that had a breakout year in the sprints in 2024. Godbless clocked new personal-best times of 10.03 seconds in the 100m and 22.56 seconds in the 200m, qualifying for Paris in both events. She also helped the Nigerian 4×100-meter relay team qualify earlier in the year at the World Athletics Relays, earning one of the top finishes in order to advance her nation. Although she qualified for all three events, Godbless will only take on the 100m and 4x100m relay for Nigeria.
Another Nigerian woman representing the Tigers in the 2024 Olympics will be sophomore Ella Onojuvwevwo. The 400-meter star clocked a new personal-best time and LSU record of 50.57 seconds in her premier event this season. Earlier this season she also competed at the World Athletics Relays for Nigeria in the mixed 4×400-meter relay to help her nation qualify for the Olympics. Although she helped the relay get to Paris, she is scheduled to only compete in the 400-meter race.
Junior Godson Oghenebrume will also compete for Nigeria in Paris on the men’s side. Oghenebrume clocked a season-best time of 9.99 seconds in the 100m to qualify for the Olympics in the event. Although he has the 100m-qualifying time, he will only compete in the 4x100m relay in Paris.
Senior Claudio Romero will represent Chile as his nation’s reigning discus throw National Champion. After a “down year” during the 2023 season, Romero bounced back in 2024 as he tossed a new PR and LSU record of 67.29 meters (220’ 9”) in discus to claim his Olympic bid. He will begin his hopes for gold on Monday with the discus throw qualification round.
Representing Trinidad & Tobago at the Paris Olympics will be sophomore Shakeem McKay. McKay helped the TTO qualify for the Olympics in the men’s 4×400-meter relay with his gutsy performance on the final leg at the World Athletics Relays earlier this year. The men’s 4x400m relay is set to begin next Friday (August 9th).
The eight Tiger alumni representing LSU at the World Championships are Mondo Duplantis, Natoya Goule, JuVaughn Harrison, Aleia Hobbs, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, Vernon Norwood, Favour Ofili and Sha’Carri Richardson.
Mondo Duplantis returns to the Olympic games as they reigning Olympic and World Champion in pole vault. Since the Tokyo games in 2021, Duplantis has continued to reach unprecedented heights in his premier event winning four World Championship titles and breaking the world record a total of eight times for Sweden. He currently leads the world this year with his world record clearance of 6.24 meters (20’ 5.75”) and will be looking to become the 10th man to claim multiple medals at the Olympics in pole vault.
Sha’Carri Richardson will be representing the USA at the Olympics for the very first time in Paris. The sprint superstar has caught the world by flame and his hot off of a 2023 World Championship where she won gold in the 100m and 4x100m relay. This season Richardson has claimed her second US 100m title, doing so with a season-best time of 10.71 seconds. Last year she clocked a PR and No. 5 time in world history of 10.65 seconds to claim her very first world title. Richardson will line up for her home country in the 100m and 4×100, beginning her journey tomorrow in the 100m.
“Star Girl” Favour Ofili has had yet another stellar year across the 100m and 200m as she made her way to the Olympics. The Nigerian 100m National Champion has clocked a season-best time of 11.06 seconds in the 100m and 22.33 seconds in the 200m. Although she entered the meet with the 100m being a big focus in her plans, leaders from the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and/or the Nigerian Olympic Committee failed her for the second Olympics in-a-row as she will be not competing in that event due to negligence on their part(s). However, Ofili will be competing in the 200m and 4x100m relay for Nigeria.
JuVaughn Harrison is making his second Olympic appearance after debuting at the Tokyo Olympic games in 2021. In 2021, Harrison finished fifth in long jump (8.15m) and seventh in high jump (2.33m). This year he will only be competing in high jump, looking to improved from last year’s silver-medal finish at the World Championships. This year he bolsters a SB clearance of 2.34 meters (7’ 8.25”).
For the third time in her illustrious career, Natoya Goule will represent Team Jamaica at the Olympic Games. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Goule finished in eighth with a time of 1:58.26. Goule is fresh off of winning her 10th Jamaican 800-meter title in-a-row, and holds a season-best time of 1:56.83. Competition for the women’s 800m will begin tomorrow at 12:45 p.m. CT.
Three Tiger alumni will represent their countries in relay competitions the next 10 days. Aleia Hobbs is set to help the USA women’s 4x100m relay team pursue gold in her second Olympic appearance. Vernon Norwood is making his third Olympic appearance in hopes to lead Team USA’s men’s 4x400m relay to gold. Great Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake is looking to boost his nation’s 4x100m relay to the same goal.
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games 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.
All information listed below are subject to change due to unfinished team lists submitted by each country.
Friday, August 2nd (Day 2 of Athletics’ Competition)
4:50 a.m. | Thelma Davies, Tima Godbless and Sha’Carri Richardson – W’s 100m Heats
12:45 p.m. | Natoya Goule – W’s 800m Heats
Saturday, August 3rd (Day 3)
3:10 a.m. | Mondo Duplantis – M’s Pole Vault Qualification
4:20 a.m. | Natoya Goule – W’s 800m Repechage Round
12:50 p.m. | Thelma Davies, Tima Godbless and Sha’Carri Richardson – W’s 100m Semifinals
2:20 p.m. | Thelma Davies, Tima Godbless and Sha’Carri Richardson – W’s 100m Final
Sunday, August 4th (Day 4)
3:55 a.m. | Thelma Davies and Favour Ofili – W’s 200m Heats
1:35 p.m. | Natoya Goule – W’s 800m Semifinals
Monday, August 5th (Day 5)
3:10 a.m. | Claudio Romero – M’s Discus Throw Qualification A
- Or –
4:35 a.m. | Claudio Romero – M’s Discus Throw Qualification B
4:55 a.m. | Ella Onojuvwevwo – W’s 400m Heats
5:50 a.m. | Thelma Davies and Favour Ofili – W’s 200m Repechage Round
12:00 p.m. | Mondo Duplantis – M’s Pole Vault Final
1:45 p.m. | Thelma Davies and Favour Ofili – W’s 200m Semifinals
2:47 p.m. | Natoya Goule – W’s 800m Final
Tuesday, August 6th (Day 6)
4:20 a.m. | Ella Onojuvwevwo – W’s 400m Repechage Round
Wednesday, August 7th (Day 7)
3:05 a.m. | JuVaughn Harrison – M’s High Jump Qualification
1:25 p.m. | Claudio Romero – M’s Discus Throw Final
1:45 p.m. | Ella Onojuvwevwo – W’s 400m Semifinals
Thursday, August 8th (Day 8)
4:10 a.m. | Tima Godbless, Aleia Hobbs, Favour Ofili and Sha’Carri Richardson – W’s 4x100m Relay Heats
4:35 a.m. | Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Godson Oghenebrume – M’s 4x100m Relay Heats
Friday, August 9th (Day 9)
4:05 a.m. | Shakeem McKay and Vernon Norwood – M’s 4x400m Relay Heats
12:30 p.m. | Tima Godbless, Aleia Hobbs, Favour Ofili and Sha’Carri Richardson – W’s 4x100m Relay Final
12:47 p.m. | Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Godson Oghenebrume – M’s 4x100m Relay Final
1:00 p.m. | Ella Onojuvwevwo – W’s 400m Final
Saturday, August 10th (Day 10)
12:00 p.m. | JuVaughn Harrison – M’s High Jump Final
2:00 p.m. | Shakeem McKay and Vernon Norwood – M’s 4x400m Relay Final
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