LSU alumni Sha'Carri Richardson and Mondo Duplantis were recently seen with fourth-year Tigers' gymnast, Aleah Finnegan. The trio was spotted at the University's honor ceremony for its Olympic athletes, held on Saturday, November 9, during the Tigers' NCAA football game against Alabama.
The honoring ceremony took place during the halftime of the match, which was eventually won by Alabama Crimson Tide 42-13. It was graced by numerous former LSU athletes such as Vernon Norwood, gold medalist for the USA in the 4x400m relay, and Kristen Nuss, who competed in beach volleyball in Paris, etc.
Finnegan, who represented the Philippines national gymnastics team at the 2024 Paris Games, was also part of this ceremony. Owing to this, she got an opportunity to click pictures and spend time with two Olympic gold medalists, Mondo Duplantis (Pole Vault) and Sha'Carri Richardson (4x100m relay, silver in 100m).
The 21-year-old gymnast shared these pictures on her Instagram story. In the clicks, Finnegan can be seen wearing a white jacket along with a golden dress while Richardson donned a purple jacket and blue denims along with white shoes. Duplantis kept it casual during the ceremony, wearing a striped shirt and black shoes.
Mondo Duplantis reminisces about his LSU years with Sha'Carri Richardson
Mondo Duplantis opened up about his collegiate time at LSU with Sha'Carri Richardson. This came just after the Swedish pole vaulter clinched a gold medal at the World Indoor Championships earlier this year in March.
In the interview, Duplantis stated that time passed too quickly and reminisced about his teenage years with Richardson at LSU. He also mentioned that they had big dreams and acknowledged that they have developed into successful athletes in their respective fields. He said (via Olympics.com):
"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."
Fast forward from their LSU days, both Sha'Carri Richardson and Mondo Duplantis have tasted immense success in their careers and have won laurels for their country in global tournaments such as the Olympics.