Olympic gold medallist Thea LaFond-Gadson has once again rewritten the record books, producing a historic performance at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Meeting in Croatia.
LaFond-Gadson secured the gold medal with a world-leading leap of 15.25 metres on her final attempt, shattering her own national record of 15.02 metres established at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. The mark now stands as the best jump recorded by any female athlete in the world so far in 2026.
The achievement also places LaFond-Gadson among the sport’s all-time greats. Her 15.25-metre effort is currently tied as the eighth-best jump in the history of women’s triple jump, further cementing her place among the elite athletes in the discipline.
Cuba’s Liadagmis Povea Perez Hernandez finished second in the competition with a jump of 14.76 metres, while Italy’s Dariya Derkach placed third with 14.51 metres.
Speaking following the competition, LaFond-Gadson revealed that recent performances had been frustrating because she believed she was capable of much more but was unable to fully execute her technique.
“The last couple meets were super frustrating, not because I felt like I wasn’t capable, it was because I felt like I was just missing something,” she explained.
The Dominican athlete credited her support team, particularly her physiotherapist, with helping her identify and address back tightness that had been affecting her fluidity and take-off.
LaFond-Gadson said she focused on recovery, mental preparation and refining her technique in the days leading up to the event. The adjustments paid off as she produced what she described as one of the easiest jumps of her career.
The performance drew high praise from President of the Dominica Athletics Association, Brendan Williams, who described the result as remarkable and congratulated LaFond-Gadson, her coach and husband Aaron Gadson, and the entire support team.
Williams said the achievement demonstrates once again that although Dominica is a small nation, its athletes continue to compete successfully at the highest international level.
LaFond-Gadson’s latest success comes as she continues preparations for upcoming international competitions, including the Commonwealth Games and future World Athletics events. The latest record-breaking performance has further strengthened expectations that the Dominican star could continue to achieve even greater heights on the global stage.
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