Dominica’s Thea LaFond wins triple jump at Grand Prix Brescia

Italy: Dominica’s Olympic winner Thea LaFond, reclaimed the top spot of the podium with a victorious performance in the women’s triple jump at the 2026 Grand Prix Brescia in Italy on August 30.

LaFond delivered the finest jump of 14.50 metres, pushing though the headwind of 1.6 metres per second to secure a top place at the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting. The victory winning effort was enough to place her ahead of Bulgaria’s Gabriela Petrova, who finished as runner-up with 14.17m with a -1.0 m/s wind. Whereas the third spot was secured by Jamaica’s Ackelia Smith at 14.13m, with a -1.1 m/s wind.

The performance added another triumph in an impressive 2026 campaign for LaFond, who has proven herself as one of the dominant triple jumpers around the globe. Regardless of the challenging wind conditions, LaFond successfully achieved 14.50 m in Brescia, setting the mark particularly remarkable on the competitive stage with none of the athletes benefiting from a legal tailwind.

LaFond was born on April 5, 1994, represents Dominica and marked history at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, winning the women’s triple jump with a national-record of 15.02m. That triumph brought Dominica its first Olympic medal.

Her 2026 campaign has also encompassed multiple impressive performances. Earlier in the campaign, Thea LaFond registered a 15.13m leap in Zagreb in June, based on the season performance rankings, whereas she has also delivered efforts exceeding 14.5m at other top-level meetings.

Meanwhile, Petrova remains a highly experienced player on the international stage. The Bulgarian athlete holds a career best of 14.66m, earned at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing. Smith, competing under the flag of Jamaica, took part in the Brescia competition by giving a 2026 best of 14.50m, registered in Oslo in June.

Dariya Derkach of Italy secured fourth position in Brescia with 13.94m, ahead of Germany’s Caroline Joyeux at 13.78m.