Silver Spring’s Thea LaFond-Gadson won the gold medal for the triple jump at the World Athletics Indoor Championships this past weekend in Glasgow representing her native country, Dominica.
Congratulations Thea Lafond! We are proud-a world champion & amazing alum of @athletics_jfk & @MCPSAthletics! @MCPS @MPSSAA_Org 🥇👏 https://t.co/HpXiPNGcIN
— Jeff Sullivan (@mcpsAD) March 3, 2024
Thea LaFond, what a story:
– Born in Dominica (pop: 70,000)
– Moved to Maryland at 7
– Started track in HS
– 2015 B1G Field Athlete of the Year
– Taught in Montgomery County Schools to support her dream
– Went to two OlympicsNow, she's her country's first-ever world champion pic.twitter.com/qDbSyNai8z
— Maryland Terrapins (@umterps) March 4, 2024
Thea Lafond has won Dominica's first World Athletics gold medal in the Women's Triple Jump at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
Congratulations Champ! Dominica celebrates you. pic.twitter.com/Dbtf7C1xGH
— Roosevelt Skerrit (@SkerritR) March 3, 2024
At the competition, LaFond surpassed the 15-meter mark for the first time in her career, becoming the first female athlete from Dominica to win a global medal and the country’s first-ever global champion in any athletic discipline.
LaFond hit 15.01 meters on her second attempt, setting a personal best and securing her victory.
“This feels absolutely surreal,” said LaFond in her trackside interview. “I am the only athlete here from my country, so to be able to come out and get the best possible outcome and put this little island on the map is a privilege. This one is for my people. I don’t even know what to say any more!”
LaFond is a former University of Maryland track and field star and teacher at her alma mater, John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring. She was born in Dominica and moved to Maryland at age seven, growing up in Silver Spring.
She previously competed in the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics.
Featured image from SkerritR on X
