Former Terp Thea Lafond Wins Triple Jump Indoor World Championship
3/4/2024 12:26:00 PM | Track & Field
Lafond, who graduated from Maryland in 2015, surpassed the 15 meter mark for the first time in her career, leaping to a new personal best and world-leading 15.01m. She also became the first female athlete from her home country of Dominica, a small island in the Caribbean with a population of just over 70,000 people, to win a global medal, and the country's first ever global champion in any athletic discipline.Gold for Lafond ‼️
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) March 3, 2024
🇩🇲's Thea Lafond claims the triple jump gold with a world-leading 15.01m 🙌#WorldIndoorChamps pic.twitter.com/k7uiX3IgLH
Before beginning her professional career, Lafond earned multiple All-American honors at Maryland, including placing in the top-ten in both the women's high jump and triple jump at NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2013. In the indoor season in 2013, Lafond was named the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Field Athlete of the Year. During her senior season in 2015, Lafond was named the Big Ten's Field Athlete of the Year."I am the only athlete here from my country, so to be able to come out and get the best possible outcome and put this little island on the map is a privilege. This one is for my people." 🫶
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) March 3, 2024
🇩🇲's Thea Lafond is the indoor triple jump world champ 👏#WorldIndoorChamps pic.twitter.com/cAHiWSceHX
Lafond, who grew up in Silver Spring, still holds multiple top-five all-time marks at Maryland, including the school record in the outdoor triple jump, the second best all-time finish in the indoor triple jump and indoor 60H and the, the third best indoor high jump mark, and the fourth best indoor long jump mark.Thea LaFond, what a story:
— Maryland Terrapins (@umterps) March 4, 2024
- Born in Dominica (pop: 70,000)
- Moved to Maryland at 7
- Started track in HS
- 2015 B1G Field Athlete of the Year
- Taught in Montgomery County Schools to support her dream
- Went to two Olympics
Now, she's her country's first-ever world champion pic.twitter.com/qDbSyNai8z
-TERPS-
