"I'm so proud of her"- Mondo Duplantis in awe of fellow LSU Tiger Sha'Carri Richardson

Mondo Duplantis and Sha'Carri Richardson have a connection that dates back to 2018. The two world champions joined Louisiana State University as freshmen in 2018, and the following year, the American sprinter won the Bowerman Trophy while Duplantis finished as a finalist.

Despite the rivalry between their nations, Duplantis and Richardson have always kept supporting each other. When the former won the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships title in Glasgow this year, Richardson was among the first to congratulate him.

Last year, Richardson claimed that Duplantis was one of her favorite people when the two were competing in the 2023 World Championships. The 24-year-old was seen cheering for Duplantis on the trackside. She told NBC:

“Oh yes, I saw my Mondo! He’s one of my favorite people in life.”

After winning yet another pole vault competition in Stockholm on Sunday, Mondo Duplantis reflected on his and Sha'Carri Richardson’s growth as athletes.

"It's weird in a way. Because I think both of us, we knew we were capable of these kind of things. But, you know, in sports, not everything pans out the way that you think it is going to", he expressed.

Having missed the 2021 Olympic Games, Richardson has gone on to become a global sprinting sensation, and a favorite for the 100-meter gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Duplantis is proud of her.

"I'm so proud of her. It's such a weird thing to think where we were then, not even just as athletes, [but] as people, too. And then to see where we are now, it's super special", the world record holder expressed.

“We also both had huge dreams”- Mondo Duplantis reminisces time with Sha'Carri Richardson at LSU

2024 Diamond League - BAUHAUS-Galan

Mondo Duplantis and Sha'Carri Richardson are two of the biggest track and field sensations in the world. They had the same manifestations while in college, and Duplantis said last year that it felt great now that they had succeeded.

“Everything just goes so fast because it feels like just yesterday we were teenagers, we were just kids and we were Freshmen in college and we were just doing Freshman in college things, just cutting up and being stupid.”

“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,” Duplantis added.

Duplantis has a personal best of 10.57s over 100- meters, while Richardson's best is 10.65s.