Dominican jumper Thea LaFond leaped 14.60m for a Triple Jump world lead (WL) as her season opener during her victory at the East Coast Invitational in Virginia Beach, VA on Saturday (3 Feb).
“14.60m season opener for a World Lead BEHIND THE FREAKIN BOARD. Smh. I’ll post the jump so you can be blown with me,” Thea LaFond posted on Facebook.
The mark was enough for her to outdo a field that included outdoor (and former indoor) Triple Jump American record holder Keturah Orji (13.95). ALSO READ: American Sprinters Dominate New Balance Indoor Grand Prix with Personal Bests and World Leads
Thea LaFond Dominates East Coast Invitational, Claims Triple Jump World Lead with 14.60m Jump
This is the third time she has held the WL in her career. The first instance occurred in January 2020 after a 14.33m Personal Best (PB) jump on February 7th, 2020, indoors during the University of Albany Winter Classic before the world shut down, delaying her season plans until 2021.
In 2022, she opened her outdoor season leading the likes of Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts with a 14.35m to 14.27m jump by early May from her performance at the Grande Premio Internacional Brasil Loterias Caixa de Atletismo in São Paulo, Brazil.
With a PB and National Record (NR) of 14.90m set in Budapest as she took fifth in the final, the Olympian and multiple-time World Championship finalist is off to a strong start again with lofty goals for 2024; LaFond’s third consecutive Olympic berth is within reach.
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