Olympic Games triple jump champion Thea LaFond has been elected to the World Athletics Athletes’ Commission following her silver medal performance at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships. The Dominica athlete received 1,293 votes in elections that saw record participation from competitors.
LaFond’s election comes just days after she claimed silver in the triple jump at the Tokyo championships, adding to her impressive collection that includes her Paris 2024 Olympic gold medal. Her successful campaign demonstrates strong support from fellow athletes across the sport.
The commission elections produced six new members in total, with Sweden’s Andreas Almgren leading the vote count at 1,428 votes. Italy’s Gia Trevisan followed with 1,456 votes, while the Netherlands’ Lisanne de Witte earned re-election with the highest total of 1,566 votes.
Slovenia’s Lia Apostolovski secured 1,201 votes for her first term on the commission. Ukraine’s Anna Ryzhykova also won re-election with 1,244 votes, returning for another four-year period of service.
More than 2,000 athletes participated in the voting process, creating a participation rate of 95.5 percent. This marked the highest turnout in the history of Athletes’ Commission elections, according to World Athletics officials.
The voting period ran from September 8-20, with athletes able to cast ballots either in person or through a new online system. The extended timeframe and flexible voting options contributed to the record participation numbers.
Athletes needed specific qualifications to run for election. Candidates required competition experience in at least one of the past two World Championships, the most recent Olympic Games, or this year’s Tokyo competition.
Dame Valerie Adams from New Zealand continues as commission chair, leading a group that includes members elected in both 2023 and 2025. The 2023 group features France’s Renaud Lavillenie, Jamaica’s Aisha Praught-Leer, Spain’s Diego Garcia Carrera, USA’s Jasmine Todd, and Great Britain’s Adam Gemili.
Four previous members completed their terms during the Tokyo championships. Bulgaria’s Ivet Lalova-Collio, Switzerland’s Lea Sprunger, Canada’s Matthew Hughes, and Japan’s Toshikazu Yamanishi stepped down after their service periods ended.
The Athletes’ Commission plays a key role in World Athletics governance, with the chairperson and one other member holding full voting positions on the World Athletics Council. This structure ensures athlete voices remain central to sport decision-making at the highest levels.
Commission members will soon vote internally to select their deputy chair from the newly elected group. The complete commission roster and member roles will be published on the World Athletics website shortly.
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