Local prodigy turned national icon

A gold medal doesn’t look like it would happen for Montgomery County resident Thea LaFond. She had unsuccessfully competed in the two previous Olympics, in Rio and Tokyo, leaving both events with a broken heart. 

Then things changed in Paris when she stepped onto the triple jump runway for her native country, the Commonwealth of Dominica. 

“I told myself that your body knows what to do, trust it. And I did my hop, I did my step, and in that step, I felt like I had so much speed and was covering so much ground, and I heard the crowd freak out before I even hit the sand,” LaFond told The Wash.

“I was in the air, and I could hear the stadium scream, and I hit the sand, hopped out of the pit, and everyone’s going crazy. I see team Dominica in the stands with the flags, wailing, and tears coming down people’s faces. My husband is standing there with his hands up in the air, like, look at the greatness of this moment,” she said. 

She recounts how she looked up at the screen to see 15.02 meters (49.27 feet) and her mind going blank with amazement.  

“I let out the biggest scream. I think it was like all the downfalls, the hard times, the sacrifices. This day, Dominica got its first-ever Olympic medal, and it just so happens to be gold,” she said. 

A prodigy of Montgomery County, Thea LaFond immigrated to the United States as a child with her parents from the Commonwealth of Dominica, a Caribbean country with a population of about 73,000. 

LaFond has three siblings, including a brother at the Naval Academy who went viral on social media when he found out his sister won gold.  

During an interview with The Wash, she recounted her years as an athlete at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, Maryland where she returned years later to teach special education. 

“All my friends were joining the track team, and so they talked me into joining with them,” she said.  

LaFond had set her sights on distance running until her coach unknown to her at the time changed the trajectory of her life. 

“Halfway through the workout, my head coach, Kevin Monroe, pulled me aside, and he was like, listen, I’m not trying to say that you can’t run far. Well, you’re from the Caribbean, and most Caribbean athletes are pretty explosive, so let’s try you in hurdles,” she said.  

“And so I did hurdles, and then I did sprints, and then I did long jump, high jump, and last was triple jump,” she told The Wash. 

LaFond, who studied international studies with a minor in public health at the University of Maryland, started training with a triple jump group in the area upon graduation. 

At her first Olympics outing in Rio, she finished last, hereby spurring her to find a new coach on her return home. A friend who was also a triple jumper turned coach, here in Montgomery County, Muhammad Halim introduced LaFond to her now coach, Aaron Gadson. 

“Within six months of working together, I jumped over half a meter further, which was unheard of in our world. And then we qualified for our first Olympics together,” she said. 

Next up was the Tokyo Olympics and Covid had just hit, so the event got pushed to 2021. 

Though she qualified for the finals. She got overwhelmed fouling a massive jump that she said would probably have given her a silver medal. 

“One of my last jumps, I kind of just ran through the board. I was just so like, mentally all over the place, and I think it was too much pressure I’d put on myself, but I really struggled afterward to be okay,” she said. 

LaFond, who now advocates for mental health, said it took about a month for her to admit that she was actually struggling mentally and emotionally with what had happened in Tokyo.  

“And so I got a great sports psychologist, and over the next couple years, we worked to just building that self-confidence, getting rid of those nerves, getting rid of jumping scared and fear of disappointing myself or others again. And this year, 2024 I just let go of it, and I told myself that I’ve already experienced failure. I no longer fear it, so let’s just go get success,” she said. 

 Speaking on why she represented her country of birth, the Commonwealth of Dominica as against the United States where she grew up, LaFond said it was never in doubt. 

“It was always going to be my home country. I always view myself as a Dominican very proudly. My parents never let me forget where I came from, and we frequented Dominica as much as we could during my childhood, there was always a connection there,” she said. 

She takes pride in her dual citizenship as well. 

“Montgomery County is my home. My non-biological family, majority of it comes from this county,” she said.

Part of that non-biological family is her husband/gold-winning coach Aaron Gadson.

Speaking on the reception, Dominica gave her on her return, she said it was unbelievable.

“The way the country responded, the way the people responded. We did a motorcade through half the country, and everyone was on the street, flags everywhere. For such a small nation, we tend to be so politically divided. And it was the first time I really saw Dominicans unite under the flag,” she said. 

LaFond, who’s currently recuperating from injuries, is now giving back in Montgomery County. 

“So right now, I do kind of extend my leadership programs more. Especially back to John Kennedy High School where I graduated from. Going back there and letting them hold the medal and talking to the kids, kind of bridging that gap between where you are and where you want to be,” she said. 

Speaking on what she would like her legacy to be, she said she just wants to make Dominica proud. 

“I want the Commonwealth of Dominica to be truly known to the world that we are not the Dominican Republic, that we are this fabulous place with amazing people, with a gorgeous culture, phenomenal food, and hospitality like no other. It truly is an amazing special place,” she said. 

“I also want people to see and remember a story of resilience that this dream of mine essentially took me 17 years from when I started to achieve it. And I want people to know that the road to success is not always straight,” LaFond told The Wash.