History has been made! Mrs.Thea Lafond-Gadson struck gold at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor
Championships held in Glasgow, Scotland with a mammoth jump of 15.01m. She became the
country’s first global champion and second World Athletics Championship medalist.
Dominica secured its first and only World Athletics Championship medal in 1995, when Jerome
Romain Jumped 17.59m to secure bronze in the Men’s Triple Jump event at Göteborg, Sweden
Mrs. Lafond-Gadson laid down the gauntlet with her first jump of 14.41m. Then took away hopes
of anyone unseating her from the gold medal position with a monstrous jump of 15.01m in round
two.
She proved to be too good for her experienced competitors, who challenged her with impressive
jumps of 14.90m from Leyanis Pérez Hernández (Cuba) and 14.75m from Ana PeleteiroCompaoré (Spain), who were second and third respectively. Mrs. Lafond-Gadson’s series of
14.41m, 15.01m, Pass, Pass, Pass, Pass, and Pass demonstrated her confidence and challenge that
may come from her competitors.
Along with her first global title, Mrs. Lafond-Gadson jumped a new National Record, OECS
Record, Personal Best, and joint 28th all-time in the event. She also cemented herself as a medal
favorite at this year’s Olympics to be held in Paris, France.
The Executive of the Dominica Amateur Athletics Association, the Dominica Olympic
Committee, and its Affiliates would like to congratulate Mrs. Thea Lafond-Gadson on her recordbreaking and historic performance at the 2024 World Indoor Championships.