Thea Lafond makes history, clinches Dominica's 1st gold at World Athletics Championship

Thea Lafond has created history by securing the gold medal in the Triple Jump event at the World Indoor Athletics Championship. The international championship was held in Glasgow, Scotland, with Lafond jumping 15.01 meters (49.2 feet).

The 29-year-old won gold with her second attempt, which was also the best jump in the world this year. She called the victory 'surreal' and said she was the only athlete here from her country and she had the gold medal. Thea outlined, "We are just a little island with a population of 70000 individuals, so this one is for my people, all of my people."

Her remarkable performance has not only earned her the prestigious title but also set a new national record for the Commonwealth of Dominica. Lafond's jump of 15.01 meters showcased her exceptional talent and created history as the jump became the best in the world so far this year. This significant achievement of the Dominican athlete has marked a huge milestone for her career as it solidified her position as one of the top athletes in the world in the category of Triple Jump.

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Following this huge achievement, Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit took to X to congratulate her. He said, "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."

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Ten years after making her international debut, Thea Lafond became the first athlete from Dominica to win a world title. She also landed a Personal Best and World Lead of 15.01m. With her massive performance, she defeated Leyanis Hernandez who reached a Season's Best (SB) of 14.90m while Ana Peleteiro-Compaore jumped a huge SB of 14.75m to finish 3rd.

Notably, Thea won Dominica's first-ever medal in a major championship at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and then took the silver in Birmingham in 2022. After the victory, she also said that she wanted to win Dominica's first World Indoor title, similar to Julien Alfred for Saint Lucia in the 60m last night. She outlined, "I was like, 'Alright, I need a 1-2 punch for the Lesser Antilles Islands. Julien was the one; I got to be the two." The athlete was very emotional as she won the huge achievement, following which she wrapped the flag of Dominica on her body, hugging her and showing her love for her birth nation. She also hoped that this achievement would inspire the next generation of young Dominican athletes to just go for it and achieve better things.