Angel Reese cheers on fellow LSU athlete Sha'Carri Richardson in 100-meter dash semifinals

LSU has a long and storied history in track and field, and Sha’Carri Richardson has a chance to add to the program’s Olympic success over the next several days in Paris.

Richardson took part in a 100-meter dash semifinal on Saturday, and she had some fellow Tigers in her corner.

Just before the race began, former LSU women’s basketball star Angel Reese took to Twitter to show her support for the former LSU track and field star.

“LET’S GO SHA’CARRI! KILL THEM!!!” Reese wrote on Twitter.

Sha’Carri Richardson didn’t win her heat, coming in second by a fairly narrow margin. But she did qualify for the finals in the 100-meter dash, all while another track superstar pulled out of the event. That was Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who did not run in the semifinal event for undisclosed reasons.

Her absence opens the field up for anyone to win, and Richardson will certainly have a shot. It’s been a long journey to get there.

Sha’Carri Richardson was one of the early medal favorites for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after qualifying with a 100-meter time of 10.86 seconds. However, she tested positive for THC metabolites just prior to the Olympics and was handed a one-month suspension by the USADA, ending her Olympic hopes.

She has had a long journey back winning over the public after that mistake, but she has done so remarkably well.

Sha’Carri Richardson took the gold medal in the 100-meter dash at the World Championships in Budapest in 2023. She also claimed gold on the 4×100-meter relay team, as well as bronze in the 200-meter dash.

But Richardson will be looking for her first Olympic medal this week at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. And Reese will be there watching and cheering, apparently. A pretty cool connection between LSU athletes.