Thea LaFond facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
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
Height	1.73 m
Weight	63 kg
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Triple jump
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Dominica Olympic Games Gold 2024 Paris Triple jump World Indoor Championships Gold 2024 Glasgow Triple jump Commonwealth Games Silver 2022 Birmingham Triple jump Bronze 2018 Gold Coast Triple jump

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.

Biography

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Personal life

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

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

International competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
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	11th (q)	Triple jump	12.66 m
2014	Commonwealth Games	Glasgow, United Kingdom	5th (q)	High jump	1.81 m
			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
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
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	5th	Triple jump	14.90 m
2024	World Indoor Championships	Glasgow, United Kingdom	1st	Triple jump	15.01 m
	2024 Summer Olympics	Paris, France	1st	Triple jump	15.02 m PB NR

See also

In Spanish: Thea LaFond para niños