MCHS grad Norwood to run for indoor 400-meter world title

Former LSU track and field standout Vernon Norwood will compete in the 400-meter dash at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships this weekend at
the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.
It marks the second time he will be competing on the world stage after advancing to the semifinals in the event at the world outdoor championships in Beijing, China, last summer and winning a gold medal as a member of Team USA’s world championship 4x400-meter relay.
“The more I keep doing it (running track), the more opportunities I have to represent my country, and the great thing about it is I’m still continuing to learn about the 400-meter race,” Norwood told FloTrack March 12 in Portland, Oregon, after winning the 400-meter title at the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships.
He said that he is continuing to get faster and stronger.
“That’s the thing I enjoy about it,” the Morgan City High alum told FloTrack.
The competition will include the running of 400-meter heats at 1:45 p.m. Friday, while the semifinals will be run later in the day at 9:45 p.m.
The finals will be held Saturday at 9:05 p.m.
Norwood also is slotted as a possible member of the USA’s 4x400-meter relay.
Heats in the event will be run at 2:40 p.m. Saturday, while the finals will be held at 6:50 p.m. Sunday.
In last Saturday’s meet, Norwood won with a time of 45.80. It was his first USATF indoor title as a professional.
Norwood won by more than 1/10th second as he beat silver medalist Kyle Clemons (45.95) and bronze medalist Elvyonn Bailey (46.22).
“It’s a big thing for me,” Norwood told FloTrack. “I’m happy I got the win.”
While he said he was nervous in the qualifying on Friday, in which he finished nearly a second faster than his closest competitors with a time of 45.81, he said there weren’t any nerves Saturday.
“Today was just more of a let’s-get-it-done type of day,” Norwood told FloTrack. “Get ready. Get the win. Do what’s possible to represent the USA.”
Last summer, Norwood advanced to the world outdoor championships after winning the bronze medal in the 400-meter dash in the USATF Outdoor
Championships.