"I'm very Louisiana proud"- 2x Olympic gold medalist Vernon Norwood opens up on representing LSU while navigating a track career

Vernon Norwood is one of Team USA's best 400m runners. Recently, the 32-year-old spoke about his ambitions in the sport when he was younger, explaining why he had his heart set on representing Louisiana while navigating his track career.

Norwood first made a name for himself as a sprinting sensation in the NJCAA, competing for South Plains College. In the NJCAA, the runner put up consistently remarkable performances, winning multiple national championships. After completing his run in junior college, the American signed with LSU in 2014.

In a recent appearance on the ‘Beyond the Records’ podcast hosted by Noah Lyles, Grant Holloway, and Rai Benjamin, Vernon Norwood, who is a Louisiana native, revealed he always wanted to join LSU, saying (at 15:27),

“I always had my heart set on LSU. For real though, just because I'm from Louisiana. I'm very Louisiana proud. I support everything in Louisiana, from rappers, artists, anything that has anything to do with Louisiana, I'm supporting it. Because I'm from there so being able to represent LSU, being from Louisiana it means so much to me.”

He went on to add that the feeling of representing one’s own home state was probably the reason a lot of Louisiana athletes chose to compete at home.

“And just to represent your home state, (it) just feels better. You know, wherever you’re from, you just represent your home state and that's how I kind of see it. And I think that's why a lot of athletes from Louisiana stay at home.”

During his collegiate career with Louisiana State University, Norwood racked up some impressive records. He was a four-time NCAA Champion, eight-time All-American, and nine-time All-SEC, and he became one of the rare sprinters in collegiate history to sweep NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor titles in the 400-meter dash in the same season.

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Vernon Norwood’s 2025 gets off to a lukewarm start

Norwood at the 2024 Luasanne Diamond League (Image Source: Getty)

Vernon Norwood is one of Team USA's veteran 400m runners, but his 2025 hasn't gotten off to the best start. The American made his season debut at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, where he clocked a 32.39s in the 300m to finish second.

Norwood then moved on to the USA Indoor Championships, where he finished sixth in the finals with a time of 46.41s.

Over the course of his career, Vernon Norwood has won four Olympic medals, two of which are gold, and six World Championships medals, three of which are gold.