Thea LaFond wins Dominica's 1st-ever Commonwealth Games Gold with triple jump victory

Dominica: Dominica’s Thea LaFond has captured the gold in the women's triple jump at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, on Thursday, July 30, 2026, marking the first Commonwealth Games gold medal in the country's history. LaFond secured the title with a winning leap of 14.60 metres (+0.7).

The Olympic champion led a Caribbean sweep of the podium with Jamaica’s Ackelia Smith taking silver and Shantae Foreman earning bronze.

The victory completed LaFond's full set of Commonwealth Games medals. She won bronze in the event at the 2018 Gold Coast Games and silver at the 2022 Birmingham Games.

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit congratulated LaFond in a Facebook post on Thursday, marking the victory as another proud milestone for Dominica. "Congratulations to Thea Lafond-Gadson on winning Gold in the Women's Triple Jump at the 2026 Commonwealth Games," he wrote.

He added that her achievement was "another proud moment for Dominica! Way to go Champ!"

The recent victory in the Commonwealth Games marks another major milestone in her career as the Dominican star now boasts bronze, silver and gold medals from the Commonwealth Games.

In an interview with Glasgow, Thea LaFond celebrated her win and joked about wanting a caramel chocolate bar with reporters producing one for her on the spot. She said, “Thank you so much. I appreciate it. I definitely not need something from Tunnock’s like tonight so I'm hoping for a caramel bar, one of those caramel chocolate bars.”

As she got the chocolate bar she said, “I love it, perfect accessory!”

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The Dominica Olympic Committee congratulated the gold medalist through a featured facebook post saying, “This remarkable achievement is another defining moment in Dominican sporting history and a testament to Thea's consistency, dedication, and world-class talent. Congratulations, Thea! You continue to inspire a nation and make Dominica proud. Congratulations, Commonwealth Champion!”

The Olympic gold medallist Thea LaFond has also won the triple jump title at the 2024 Paris Olympics and became the first athlete from Dominica to win an Olympic medal.