Thea Noeliva LaFond (born April 5, 1994) is a Dominican-American track and field athlete who competes in the triple jump. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, she won gold in the triple jump to claim the first-ever Olympic medal for Dominica. LaFond was also the 2024 World Indoor triple jump champion.

Quick Facts Personal information, Born ...
Thea LaFond
LaFond after winning gold at the 2024 World Indoor Championships.
Personal information
Born (1994-04-05) 5 April 1994 (age 30)
Roseau, Dominica
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight63 kg (139 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
EventTriple jump
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Dominica
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2024 ParisTriple jump
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place2024 GlasgowTriple jump
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place2022 BirminghamTriple jump
Bronze medal – third place2018 Gold CoastTriple jump
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place2023 SantiagoTriple jump
Close

Biography

LaFond emigrated from Dominica to the United States as a young child.[1][2] During her childhood, she was a dancer (ballerina) where she learned to accept criticism and focus on technical changes to form and movement.[3] She is a graduate of John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, where she later returned to be a special education teacher.[4][5]

At the University of Maryland, LaFond was a multi-event athlete who competed in the heptathlon and indoor pentathlon and embraced the process of becoming a better athlete.

LaFond competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the women's triple jump; her result of 12.82 meters in the qualifying round did not qualify her for the final.[6][7]

Thumb
LaFond at the 2019 ISTAF Berlin

Competing at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, she made history, becoming the first Dominican athlete to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games after securing a bronze medal in the women's triple jump.[8][9][10]

She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, where she served as Dominica's flag bearer, alongside fellow track and field athlete Dennick Luke.[11]

Thumb
LaFond at the 2022 Athletissima.

During the 2022 Commonwealth Games, she improved her result and won a silver medal in the women's triple jump event.

On 3 March 2024, LaFond became the first person from Dominica to win a World Championship gold medal, after taking first place in women's triple jump at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, setting a national record of 15.01 m.[12]

She won her country's first-ever Olympic medal when she took gold at the Paris Games, setting a new national record record of 15.02 metres in the process.[13][14][15] Thereafter, she was rewarded by the government of Dominica with $400,000, appointment as a national sports ambassador, a diplomatic passport, as well as a 7,459-square-foot (693.0 m2) parcel of land in the village of Warner, Saint Paul Parish. A track and field facility would also be built and named in her honour, and she would be granted the Dominica Award of Honour during independence day celebrations in early November.[16]

Personal life

LaFond is married to Aaron Gadson, who is also her coach.[17] They live in Maryland. She is Catholic.[18]

LaFond has a brother, Chreign, who plays defensive end for the Navy Midshipmen.[19]

International competitions

More information Year, Competition ...
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Dominica
2011 World Youth Championships Lille, France 15th (q) High jump 1.62 m
13th (q) Triple jump 12.15 m
2012 World Junior Championships Barcelona, Spain 19th (q) Triple jump 12.66 m
2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow, United Kingdom 11th (q) High jump 1.81 m[20]
11th Triple jump 12.64 m
2015 Pan American Games Toronto, Canada 13th High jump 1.80 m
12th Triple jump 13.35 m
NACAC Championships San José, Costa Rica 6th High jump 1.76 m
6th Triple jump 13.60 m
2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 37th (q) Triple jump 12.82 m
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 19th (q) Triple jump 13.82 m
2018 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom 17th Triple jump 13.68 m
Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia 3rd Triple jump 13.92 m
NACAC Championships Toronto, Canada 3rd Triple jump 13.74 m
2019 Pan American Games Lima, Peru 8th Triple jump 13.70 m
World Championships Doha, Qatar N/A Triple jump DNS
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 12th Triple jump 12.57 m
2022 World Indoor Championships Belgrade, Serbia 4th Triple jump 14.53 m
World Championships Eugene, United States 5th Triple jump 14.56 m
Commonwealth Games Birmingham, United Kingdom 2nd Triple jump 14.56 m
NACAC Championships Freeport, Bahamas 1st Triple jump 14.49 m
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 5th Triple jump 14.90 m
Pan American Games Santiago, Chile 3rd Triple jump 14.25 m
2024 World Indoor Championships Glasgow, United Kingdom 1st Triple jump 15.01 m
Olympic Games Paris, France 1st Triple jump 15.02 m PB NR
Close

References

Wikiwand in your browser!

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.

Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.