Photo: REUTERS/Paul Childs . Retrieved from reuters.com
Excerpt from reuters.com
Thea LaFond made history for the Caribbean island nation of Dominica by winning gold in the triple jump on Saturday to claim the country’s first-ever Olympic medal.
Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts took silver and American Jasmine Moore claimed bronze.
LaFond was the woman to beat after her second attempt of 15.02 metres – a world best this year – and it proved impossible to better, with rain also making conditions more treacherous.
“This is for you guys,” said LaFond, draped in the flag of Dominica, which has a population of just over 70,000, after celebrating wildly in the Stade de France.
“We don’t often have a lot to celebrate, we’re amazing people… and this is the first time in history, this is a ground-breaking celebration.”