LAFOND Thea

Dominica
Athletics
5 Apr 1994
27
Female
Olympic Scholarship
ROSEAU
 
Dominica
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Events and Medals

Discipline Event Rank Medal
ATH Athletics Women's Triple Jump 12

Schedule

Change
Start Time Location Event Status
Olympic Stadium - Triple Jump B
Women's Triple Jump Qualification - Group B
Finished
Olympic Stadium - Triple Jump A
Women's Triple Jump Final
Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

:
Olympic Games
YearLocationTriple Jump
2016Rio de Janeiro, BRAQual. (12.82)

World Athletics Championships
YearLocationTriple Jump
2019Doha, QATQual. (DNS)
2017London, GBRQual. (13.82)

Pan American Games
YearLocationTriple Jump
2019Lima, PER8th (13.70)

NACAC Championships
YearLocationTriple Jump
2018Toronto, ON, CAN3rd (13.74)

Diamond League overview - Three best ranks per season and event since 2017
YearTriple Jump
20211 x 4th

Diamond League - Ten best performances since 2020
RankYearEventLocationResult
42021Triple JumpDoha, QAT14.57

World Athletics Continental Tour - Ten best performances since 2020
RankYearEventCompetitionLocationResult
32021Triple JumpWorld Athletics Continental TourWalnut, CA, USA14.22
32021Triple JumpWorld Athletics Continental TourEugene, OR, USA13.78

World Challenge - Ten best performances since 2020
RankYearEventCompetitionLocationResult
32019Triple JumpWorld ChallengeTurku, FIN13.91
42017Triple JumpWorld ChallengeKingston, JAM13.52
92019Triple JumpWorld ChallengeBerlin, GER13.16

World Indoor Championships
YearLocationTriple Jump
2018Birmingham, GBR17th (13.68)


Legend
SF - Semifinal, QF - Quarterfinal, 1R - 1st Round, Qual. - Qualification, QR - Qualification Round, DNF - Did Not Finish, DNS - Did Not Start, DQ - Disqualified, NM - No Mark, [Relay athlete without time] - Did not run in final
:
Athlete
:
Media and Communications - University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
:
English
:
Aaron Gadson [personal], from 2016
:
An ankle injury prevented her from competing at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, and put an end to her 2019 season. (oecs.org, 21 Feb 2020; dominicaathleticsassociation.org, 12 Feb 2020)

She sustained a hamstring injury while competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (washingtonpost.com, 04 Jul 2017)

In 2016 she was troubled by a heel injury. (cathstan.org, 28 Jul 2016)
:
She took up athletics at high school. (soundcloud.com, 08 Jul 2016)
:
"I was a dancer, doing jazz, tap and ballet, but the classes were too expensive so my mother looked for another sport. I did volleyball and basketball, but my friends who did track and field asked me to join in. After my first training session the coach told me I might be fast and that's how it all started." (soundcloud.com, 08 Jul 2016)
:
To win a medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (worldathletics.org, 20 Aug 2020)
:
British triple jumper Jonathan Edwards, US triple jumper Christian Taylor. (worldathletics.org, 20 Aug 2020)
:
"It's so easy to get worked up, so I remind myself that I am just one part of this huge sport and tell myself to have fun and enjoy it." (soundcloud.com, 08 Jul 2016)
:
In 2013 and 2015 she was named Mid-Atlantic Indoor Field Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association [USTFCCCA]. (dominicanewsonline.com, 12 Mar 2015; umterps.com, 16 Mar 2013)

She was named the 2013 Sportswoman of the Year in Dominica. (dominicavibes.dm, 14 May 2014)

General Interest

General
DUAL NATIONALITY
She is a dual citizen of Dominica and United States of America. At about age five she moved with her family from Dominica to New Jersey, United States of America. (soundcloud.com, 08 Jul 2016)

TECHNIQUE CHANGE
She was affected by a hamstring injury at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and was eventually ranked 37th in the triple jump competition. While she was in Brazil she met US Virgin Islands triple jumper Muhammad Halim, who suggested some improvements to her technique, and he also introduced her to coach Aaron Gadson once she had returned to the United States of America. Although Lafond had jumped off her right leg since she was a teenager, Gadson thought she was stronger jumping off her left leg and they began the process of making the switch. "It's basically teaching your body how to jump again. There were some very frustrating days." (washingtonpost.com, 04 Jul 2017)

OCCUPATION
She has worked as a high school substitute teacher and track and field coach in the United States of America. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Jan 2017)

Legend
:
Gold Medal Event
:
Silver Medal Event
:
Bronze Medal Event
Content 1 (removed through CDN)
Content 2 (removed through CDN).
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