Dominica’s Thea Lafond exploded her personal best in the triple jump on Sunday March 3 during the indoor world championships in Glasgow, to exceed the symbolic 15 meters and offer Dominica its first world gold medal in athletics.
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In the absence of the Venezuelan queen of the discipline Yulimar Rojas, who is exceptionally skipping the indoor season to concentrate on the Olympics, Thea Lafond has returned to the ranks of the very greats of her discipline by joining the club of jumpers over 15 meters (15.01 m on his second attempt). Thea Lafond beat the Cuban Leyanis Perez Hernandez (14.90 m) and the Spaniard Ana Peleteiro-Compaoré (14.75 m).
“ It’s unreal. I am the only athlete from my country here and I have the gold medal. We are a small island of 70,000 inhabitants so this medal is for my people », reacted very moved the 29-year-old Dominican before embarking on a lap of honor to the cheers of an excited Scottish public, even for a morning session without a big meeting.
“ I cried last night seeing Julien (Alfred) win gold » over 60 m, said Thea Lafond after the victory on Saturday of the sprinter from Saint Lucia, a small Caribbean island neighboring Dominica. “ I told myself that it was my turn, that I wanted to do the same and make my country proud “, she admitted.